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Prose of a Con

Poetry and Prose by Russell Wardlow

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Dear Parole Board

December 2, 2020 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

Dear Parole Board

I wasn’t supposed to be here

Do you know the dark I was thrown in

the dark that I had to inhabit

the darkness that overcame me

I wasn’t supposed to be here

not some place so deeply dark and dystopic

where I was expected to come out better on the other side

while you sit back in your chairs looking at me

hoping I quiver beneath your downward gaze

peering into me

seeing nothing but khakis

wanting me to tell you a script that doesn’t suit the journey I trekked

just to give you a reason to grant me my freedom

a freedom which my years and journey have long since earned

even now, sitting in this seat, I wasn’t supposed to be here

but you don’t know the half

Filed Under: Culture, Inside, Trauma

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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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