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Prose of a Con

Poetry and Prose by Russell Wardlow

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Erect Your Spine

March 18, 2022 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

the flood came last
lo, foundation lost
the backbone bent
a temple’s collapsed pillars
shocks felt through the kingdom
the beginning of a civilization lost
and the air shallow
the quickening intakes quaked the constitution
confusion
the flood overtook land
animals ran about unchecked
equilibrium as extinct,
as the land before time
forces from below overwhelmed
taking over the empire
only instinct could save one
the throne usurped
doorways closed
hallways submerged
invertebrates siphoned vitality
ruins became legacy,
for generations
to a dismembered civilization
and as ages passed
time forgot
but seekers sought
waters receded
creepy crawlers swarmed the land
and over old pillars
an archaic memory made of legends
ran rampant by creatures of the ground
solar energy barely able to penetrate the infestation
and meet the ocean of mud
where lotuses waited for renewal
a life force hearing a call to awakening
a legacy, all but lost
now remembering its kingdom
though for now, unrecognizable
still any piece of peace found
can be salvaged
but first
one must restore the pillars
after which,
everything else will come forth

Filed Under: Culture, Spirit, 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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