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Prose of a Con

Poetry and Prose by Russell Wardlow

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Friendliest Foes

November 27, 2020 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

Agreement

often times creates ignorance and blindness

it’s in the face of opposition

that we see where we truly stand

the chill of objectivity

helps to form our truest conception of self

I noticed enemies have shown me more of myself

than friends.

Friendships are polite and optimistic

with temporary havens of security

and self indulgence.

But opposition

truly showed me things,

I once believed universally good of myself-

obviously good in virtue

of having friends and being friendly-

but was bad for this world

this world I speak of

may be prison

or life, period

it was friends that turned enemy

and enemies that revealed the treachery of friends

and my own foolishness

because at the end of the day

most people will self-serve and preserve

before sacrificing fully for a friend

I was the fool that would sacrifice all for a friend-

or the idea-

the enemies that had blossomed

showed me that I can’t just be agreeable,

having everyone like me

trying to make everyone happy

in order to be loved

because love doesn’t work that way

pliability is sticky

things given,

not worked for

will often foster ingratitude

and suspicion,

it’ll also advertise false allegiance

and manipulative

or thin loyalty

a friend doesn’t really know what it has in a friend

until discontent or trials arise

friends aren’t innately built to show you what you are lacking

in the unfavorable faces of strangers

and opposition

so they may keep you in a state of oblivion

just for vanity sake of being a “good friend”

-less contentious

opposition revels at the chance

to tell you a truth other than what you’ve been made to believe

friends can willingly lie to you

to keep you comfortable

and the friendship safe

as if believing,

disagreements mean a lack of friendship

friends almost got me killed in prison

enemies showed me more love

by their truth and revealed intentions

than the secreted selfish and held truth

I received from some friends

there’s a higher mutual respect now with those old foes

besides most of the friends we acquire

are more acquaintances than friendships

everyone doesn’t deserve to be called friends

even though we all need friends

we also all need opposition

prison made me reevaluate all roles

Filed Under: Culture, Inside, Love

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Prose of a Con

Prose of a Con is a collection of Russell Wardlow’s prose and poetry written entirely behind bars. Through writings on family, spirituality, freedom, love, justice, redemption, and vulnerability, Russell seeks to show the humanity and hope of individuals like himself who are incarcerated.

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