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Prose of a Con

Poetry and Prose by Russell Wardlow

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Rave About the Butterfly, but You Better Forget About the…

March 10, 2021 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

you love my words
just not the heart it comes from
you love my slang
just not the mouth that talks it
you love my style
just not the mind that created it
you love my swag
just not the body that walks it
you love my culture
just not the color that lives it
you love my way of life
just not the blackness that birthed and burdens it

you prefer only half of me
and that ain’t the half of it!
you constructed an America
by enslaving the African
you tell me a history
that isn’t historically accurate
you raped my ancestors
and birthed an accident
you see me ungrateful
if I speak as an advocate
and if roles were reversed…
well just imagine it

because whats been black created,
has only been white endorsed
profiting from the outcome,
while covering up the source
whether in fashion, art and music
or in movies, sports and in court
black people and blackness
have been separated by force
historically, no, traditionally, commitment to black people,
is met with exhaustive cautious association
but when it comes to matters of monetizing blackness
well, we’ve been misappropriated

Filed Under: Culture, 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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  • Optical Ill-lusions June 30, 2022
  • Hollow Symbols June 30, 2022

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