• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Prose of a Con

Poetry and Prose by Russell Wardlow

  • Home
  • About
  • Prose
    • Culture
    • Inside
    • Love
    • Mercy
    • Spirit
    • Trauma
  • Listen
  • News
  • Connect
  • Support

What is Darker than Dark?

April 8, 2021 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

you know how they say
happy wife, happy life
well, energy transfers
those you surround yourself around most
those you sleep with, and sleep near most
have a weighing effect on you
whether that effect be for the good or bad
my cellmate is a pessimistic lifer
fighting for his freedom in court tirelessly
being railroaded time and time again,
just because he represents himself
and has a clear case to be freed
yet the law shows that it doesn’t work for people like him
at least not in any healthy and promised speed
disregarding the seconds he waits
as his life tick, tocks, tick-tocks, on by
for a young black man that has aged with me in this system
having our ups and downs
once a high school basketball figure
and all-around athlete
too smart for his own good
rebelliously sly and uncaring
now bald
fattened by stress eating and withdrawal
and even darker internally
than his skin
still smart, rebellious, and hides pain well
but even more jaded than life had first made him
his dark humor and all rubbing and weighing on me
it’s heavy
I hear it, see it, and feel it
everyday
even if he claims his freedom one day
time has already done its damnedest
what is darker than dark?

Filed Under: Culture, Trauma

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

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.

Read More

  • Whose Mind is it Anyway June 30, 2022
  • Objects June 30, 2022
  • Same Thang, Different Name June 30, 2022
  • Optical Ill-lusions June 30, 2022
  • Hollow Symbols June 30, 2022

Themes

  • Culture
  • Inside
  • Love
  • Mercy
  • Spirit
  • Trauma
  • Uncategorized

Footer

Prose of a Con

Prose of a Con is sponsored by giveabeat.org

  • Instagram

Navigation

  • Home
  • About
  • Prose
  • Listen
  • News
  • Connect
  • Support

Themes

  • Culture
  • Inside
  • Love
  • Mercy
  • Spirit
  • Trauma
  • Uncategorized

Prose of a Con © 2025 · web design by Studio Lyko