Alitha A. Alford: Silence to Thunder

Portrait of My Father: A Loving Tribute To My Personal Hero

“He ascends gracefully…
born of fire, tempered by struggle,
like a phoenix etched in Black skin,
ash to flame, silence to thunder.

A Black man in America—
scarred by history yet sculpted from strength,
he spreads his wings beyond the weight of chains,
beyond the bars of stereotype and fear.
He soars, valiantly,
against gravity, against doubt,
against a world that mistook his power for threat.

My father is resilience embodied.
He carries the quiet power of storms,
the strength of oceans,
the dignity of mountains that do not bow.
A veteran who once fought proudly for a nation…
a nation now engulfed in tyranny that now fights against its own…

He is Dadaism incarnate…
unruly, uncontained, a masterpiece of contradiction:
nurturing in defiance of hate,
gentle where the world expects rage,
breaking molds not meant to hold him.

He stands as hope,
as courage,
as integrity carved into flesh.
Not just a man,
but the measure of manhood itself.

My Tatay, My Father, My Papa Bear, 
prototype of strength,
blueprint of love,
a living testimony that from ashes,
we rise.” 

Silence to Thunder, 2025
mixed media collage, acrylic paint
36" x 48"

This work is part of the exhibition, Metamorphosis. Purchased work will not be available for shipping or pick-up until after the show ends on September 13.