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Prose of a Con

Poetry and Prose by Russell Wardlow

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This Shit Humiliating

March 30, 2021 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

in prison we have few but distinctive privacies
all which we behold and apprise the most value to
and when they get lost,
in some cases it will cause angst anguish and anger
in other cases it will cause outbursts
but at the truth of the matter
it’s all shame
the few dignities that we enjoy being encroached upon creates for a more aggressive environment
acting out from the humiliation of circumstance
as I say this,
our unit is locked down for 24/day
and me and my cellmate have both been holding our bowels
hoping to wait out the unknown day to where the lockdown will be lifted
for two days…TWO DAYS, we have chosen not to defecate
a rare and prided privacy that will be destroyed
and an invasion that we both wish to not endure
but we haven’t spoken a word of it
silently going about our day trapped in this room as if the thing we aren’t doing
isn’t even a thing that is done
we urinate
we flush our gas
but we do not break that last line
it’s the last line we have left
before we feel every bit the savage
as the savagery that is being forced upon us
this is the last indignity we don’t wish to give up becoming desensitized to
because where do we go from here, becoming a pure animal

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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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