Prose of a Con

Poetry and Prose by Russell Wardlow

Russell Wardlow

Carry On

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her branches,
stubborn as rigamortis

her foundation,
deep as roots

her trunk,
wide as family

her leaves,
present

and her reach,
parted the clouds

and she grew,
as it rained

for her soil,
is love

and no winds,
could sway her

and no weather,
could uproot her

and the seasons,
lauded her resilience

because her essence,
was as a tree

a tree of-
life
prosperity
and health

and let it be so, she said

unmoved by challenges of the coming days
she lived in the now
her being reverberating an omnipresence
and her constance became a symbol for

life
prosperity
and health

ase(pronounced ah-Shay)

Siren-ity

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as the winds settle
the feather lands
as the air thickens
the lungs expand
as the light radiates
the dark dissipates
as the frequencies vibrate
the world speaks to me
and I hear you calling, peace

Changing Changes Changelessness

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my body plunged by this mighty sword of life
blood of my life force rained down both sides
one side was of the injustices I was to experience
and the other, innocence I was to lose
as I cried out to the sky of imbalance
breathing the air of judgment
sobbing the inequalities of my being
I pondered love-
the fuel of my spirit
the vital essence of my being-
wondering why has it came under attack
before it first had a chance to stand
pain, wounds, and their callouses
armoring my body from love
and so life has been dulled by jade
entrapped by desensitization
the majesty of feelings, foreign
and freedom, alien
I scream in agony my confusion
whimpering for more than what is
heaving for signs
as my tears fall alone
my shadow holed by the sword of life
and tomorrow the neighbor of misery
though I deem its company
if only for the hope of a new life
where the sword of life can be sheathed at my side
fighting away the evils of darkness
slicing its way through what once agonized me
redemption, the handle of my sword I gripped heartily
fencing with despair
retribution, the cold shinning steel I wielded
jousting its tip into fears I once succumbed to
and resurrection became mine
defeating what once plunged itself deep inside the birth me
realizing, it was life that had killed me
nor love that calloused me
and not even ‘my’ fears of both,
which kept me silent, still, sore, secluded, and weeping
it was you
and I don’t need your acceptance,
I finally accept myself
even if you can’t accept that
but you will
because I am also a force
and from here on,
nothing will change the same

Feet Don’t Fail Me Now

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through every cheer and jeer
feet don’t fail me now,
I can see the end is near
feet don’t fail me now,

through the marsh and mud
feet don’t fail me now,
through the tears and blood
feet don’t fail me now,

through the quicksand and valleys
feet don’t fail me now,
through the ravines and alleys
feet don’t fail me now

through the love and hate
feet don’t fail me now
through the trials that I face
feet don’t fail me now

through my strides to become great
feet don’t fail me now
through every right and wrong that I create
feet don’t fail me now

through the darkness, in search of some light
feet don’t fail me now
through my weakened states still summoning might
feet don’t fail me now

through taunts and abuses of power
feet don’t fail me now
through every minute that feels like an hour
feet don’t fail me now

though every prejudice and stereotype
feet don’t fail me now
through every pain that squeezes every bit of me inside
feet don’t fail me now

through the longing for my sons
feet don’t fail me now
through every subtraction and plight to overcome
feet don’t fail me now

I don’t want this
I didn’t ask for this
strength is only an illusion of moments put together
where I come out standing
as opposed to lying prone
to the gravity of life
and the road of redemption I trek
is high and rocky
and I am weary
but as I began to sink and fall
I felt my feet being lifted and my body transported to the everlasting finish line of promise and purpose
my feet became my team
they picked me up, from where I left off
so that I would know no failure, only respite
I realized at that moment
this road I walked, this journey I trekked-
wasn’t endured alone no longer
though I face my own trials
I don’t face them alone
because my triumph is in that I have more than two feet
and I had to fall to realize that I wouldn’t hit rock bottom again
because the ground is now hands and hearts
that are here, with me
and are there, needing me
so how can I fail, when I, is We
We BlackSheep Flocks and Shepards
Thank You.

Can I Live?

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Sarah Grimke said,
I ask no favor for my sex,
all I ask from our brethren,
is that they take their feet off our necks

what she was asking was, “can we live?”
what she was demanding was, “let us live”

WayOfLife says,
I ask no handicap for my color
all I ask from my country
is that you release the leash from our neck
because every time we progress, we get whiplash

what I’m asking is, “can we live?”

although I have not met a traditional slave
every time I see my people
I view generational lashes that are still present today
and in denial, we cope, and call them birthmarks
but my mirror doesn’t lie, I know just what these scars represent

now, what I’m demanding is that you let me live
because I know how not to
and if you allow me to choose on the manner of which I do so,
since you want to control the manner of how I live,
then I will not be the only one to suffer for my long overdue peace
I refuse to sit back, passive and in fear of fighting for my freedom
I was born in, and to, captivity
but my spirit, nor my body, will continue to live, and die, in captivity

now let me, us, we, all LIVE!

Stimulus Call

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stimulus checks are arriving for us inside
follow the money
and you’ll often see what suffers most in its absence
and of course food, hygiene, and miscellaneous things are being bought
but you know what the most money is spent on?
phone time.
so what does that tell you?