Inspiration for the piece:

If My Heart Could Speak

I wish you would have protected me that day instead of choosing to stay. That demonstration set the tone, even to this day.

Broken, shattered and in pieces.

Who would have thought this would have been my storyline.

I wear it so well, can you tell?

I wish I could have enjoyed my childhood instead of having the responsibilities of a mother. Then at fourteen becoming a mother.

Broken, shattered and in pieces.

But in awe and in love (it's a boy) my baby boy that I vowed to protect, until gun violence became a threat.

Broken, shattered and in pieces.

But my baby girl keeps me alive.

The navigation of my life journey has not been easy sailing. Statistics will show the data that will lead to my demise.

I'm a product of my environment and I can't afford to change my environment, everybody needs me.

The weight is heavy.

I roll the dice and take a chance with my life.

Broken, shattered and in pieces.

275 months and lives lost was the price!! Was it worth it? Hell NO!!

There was no pathway that could lead me or that I could see. Now, I'm being judged for what's embedded in me.

My communities are considered Redline communities (that's high risk) good examples, I never saw me!

But I always saw you!

Now here I am, standing before you, listening to you tell me about who I should be.

What was the example, then, I needed to see?

Broken, shattered and in pieces.

I pose the question?

How is the constitution the constitution when I don't see me?

The 13th amendment was created to continue to fulfill the dream!

Blow after blow, NO NO NO NO NO NO, but I'm still praying for the 3.

Addictions, welfare, homelessness, domestic violence. I was kidnapped at 13.

Where was the system when I needed them?

Now I'm asking for a second chance.

But my heart says

It's your first.

Broken, shattered and in pieces.

Now I ask what do you see?!

Here's me.

All remedies exhausted is what my heart speaks . . .

by Beverly Burrell

July 30, 2025

Titled: Broken, Shattered and In Pieces

What role does art play in your life?

The role that art plays in my life is my life story and what inspires me is life experiences, culture, people and community, nature and my environment.

Artist statement:

My creativity comes from a place of being a survivor and a resilient woman in the midst of trials and tribulations. Being connected to my inner self grounds me and reassures me that I am gifted and my life has many purposes, both of which allow me to pour into the many forms of my art and creativity. Creativity provides me with a euphoric energy and hopefulness towards the new beginnings of my life journey, while helping me reflect on my past and expand in self-growth.