An ink and acrylic piece I did for a good friend of mine, with a slam poem to match:

Wonderlust and stardust, and light, and British rain. The color lavender runs bright to her name and loneliness is rare around the caliber of her spirit, a similar one I’ve never found. It’s the way her words radiate strength and intelligence, and nothing’s ever stopped her from finding her way. She listens, not only to respond but to understand and when meaning leans towards yellow feelings or frozen blue hearts in the night there’s nothing but calm resilience, resolve, quiet green and reason to fight. She is lavender but her heart is gold, ambition runs in her veins and she cannot be dragged down. Every challenge is easily risen to meet and logic prevails. And I’ll tell you, when tough love is her middle name, I feel stronger. I am stronger for knowing her, I am alive because I met her.

She is strong. Stronger than 3500 miles’ distance between homes and the pain it takes to leave again, a spinning world full of timezones monarchies and democracies, 5 hours of mismatched sunsets and schedules and left behind windmills, to call either home would be harder but she has risen above it. Her strength lies in bull’s eyes taped to goals and future endeavors, planning smells salty like sea water but she’ll do it anyways. Anxiety is a beast with an ugly foreshadow predicting the ways we will grow can never be good enough but I know she will always be good enough. More than enough better than enough, you hold heavier than enough on your chest feel it compress the air from your lungs and tell you not to bother no please

stop–

And just breathe.

Because, your heart is made of gold and sweet lavender runs over the pain, sharp scents of salt waters are squelched in her veins can’t you feel it? The way that you’ll always push forward, and just know that you’re worth-filled whenever you’re facing the storm.