Britney Russell Artist Statement

A fruit of St Catherine, Jamaica, poetry has perpetually been one with Britney Russell since childhood. Her remarkable poetry is centered around women's empowerment and her relationship with the Heavenly Father. She has been a Christian since the age of fourteen (14) and figuratively shares her spiritual adventures through her poetry.
Her phenomenal poetry has been featured on multiple radio stations, magazines, and poetry shows in Jamaica, the USA, Canada, Africa, and the United Kingdom. She was a performer on the prestigious "Walking with Whitman" open mic in December 2020. Her captivating poetry was featured in the Inner Child Press Anthology: Poetry- The Best of 2020. She recently published her first book entitled: My Pen Paints.

According to Ephesians 6 verse 10-20, Spiritual Battle is our ultimate struggle against spiritual forces of evil. In other words, the spiritual warfare of good versus evil. My poem: "Heavenly Father? A prayer" epitomizes the phenomenon of Spiritual Battle.
In the first stanza of the poem, the persona/ speaker of the poem asked the Lord to shield her because the enemy sends plagues to destroy her. A plague is usually a disease (caused by a specific type of bacterium) that affects humans. The word 'plagues' is figuratively used in the poem and meant spiritual attack.
Besides, in the second and third stanzas, the speaker admits to receiving attacks that 'infected' her heart and soul. The speaker recalls enduring anxiety and depression and almost dying as she referred to Dylan's song: "Knockin' On Heaven's Door."
However, in the third stanza, the persona began to subdue the enemy as she reflects on the Lord and Savior: Jesus Christ. In the last stanza, the speaker celebrates triumph against evil as she embraces the truth, exercising faith and feeding upon God's word.

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"Heavenly Father?" A prayer

Lord, please shield me,

Cleanse me and heal me.

Plagues seek to impede me,

Please wrap me in your grace and mercy...

My head and heart are congested

With the attacks and losses that I had ingested.

I am just a pure soul that is infected

With the horrors of life that I thought that I'd neglected.

They said that 2020 wasn't the year

But in 2019, the anxiety and depression I bore.

A dazzling smile I wore.

Like Dylan, I was knocking on heaven's door.

I needed constant reflection.

That you died for my transgressions.

My mind and heart were in constant rebellion.

But you rescued me from my repressed world of commotion.

Thanks for faith!

Righteousness is now my breastplate

Lord, your words are the nutrients on my plate.

In the truth, I will embrace.