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Prose of a Con

Poetry and Prose by Russell Wardlow

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Russell Wardlow

These Doors Haunt Me

April 3, 2021 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

prison is so. damn. traumatizing!
I mean the sounds are so blunt, sharp, and sudden
booming sounds that echo like a taunting monstrous chuckle
it’s like when they made the door locks, some genius said
let’s make the locking and unlocking mechanism sound like
a high powered rifle, handgun, or canon
being loaded, cocked, and shooting or blasting off!
boom! bang! click! clack! pop! squeeeeaakkk!
the sudden and blunt sounds make me jump inside,
I hate it with a passion!
then being in a unit condensed in such a way that all the sound effects are amplified
ricocheting off the walls,
catching all the thunderous loud laughter, chatter, and music and reverberating it back at you like a punch in the face
I can’t nap
can hardly hear the phone
and I’m so fucking edgy that…ahhhh,Bang!
(door closed)

Filed Under: Inside

Fool, Money is the Fuel

April 3, 2021 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

laws always take time to change
and then self-interest or public outcry…
then a new law surfaces over night
justice is slow by choice, and choice alone
that’s why “it takes time” is so patronizing!

Filed Under: Culture

Smiling Through Change

April 2, 2021 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

the difference between a stagnant activist
and a dynamic activist
the difference between an activist of now
and an activist of transcendence
is a smile
change, and the need for it, should not lose the joy of the message
the joy of the desired change
of the life to still impact change
of the envisioned and believed end to a new beginning
pain hurts
but everyone hurts
hurt isn’t what attracts change
resilience,
and the smile that others have yet to find the strength for yet
through the turmoil of struggle and loss
smile, be the smile, reinforce that smile
even when it betrays the truth beneath
because the surface creates a bridge to the deep
this is all deeper than,
but still no more important, than a smile
the smile is the introduction,
the greeting,
the welcoming to the message
and the rest…is and will be historic
smile for the very reason that you shouldn’t, for the very people who can’t, so they can find it again, and then share it, because the wisdom and empowerment it beholds
through every rep and grunt, smile
through every speech ending to begin, smile
smiling wins the battle in preparation for the war

Filed Under: Mercy

Don’t Bother

April 2, 2021 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

you don’t have enough time to hear the story of my pain
so don’t ask
you don’t have enough energy to care about my pain
so don’t offer
you don’t have enough heart to understand my pain
so don’t say you feel me
you don’t have enough love to offer that would assuage my pain
so love yourself, instead
I’ll only rub off and wear on you

Filed Under: Culture, Trauma

Benefit by Association

April 2, 2021 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

I’m glad Georgia is finally changing from not having hate crime laws
it’s unfortunate that the continued misfortunes of blacks created that change
it’s ironic that it wasn’t black people that first benefit from it, as to give closure and true justice to those families
that said, I’m happy that the Asian Americans will get their fair chance at justice

Filed Under: Culture

Religiously Political

April 1, 2021 by Russell Wardlow Leave a Comment

we go against God
yet claim to act in God’s will
we go against Jesus
and then ask what would Jesus do
we blame the Devil
but better the Devil you know,
because we act directly in his favor
appealing more to our lesser nature
with things done in the dark,
we wish to never see the light of day
while we act the act of civility and decorum in the public’s eye
but isn’t that politics?
everyone having a closet full of skeletons and agendas?
so what does that make us as people, as a society?
better yet,
if Angels and Demons were Congress
and God was the government
and if the two party system was split between the Devil and Jesus
who would be the Democrat,
and who would be the Republican
and which party would we as a nation choose?
which would you as an individual choose?
or would you claim independent?
given our disdain and demonizing of free thinkers,
is Purgatory full of Independents?
would the often neglected Grass Roots be our Spirits?
is the Constitution the Bible?
is the Bill of Rights our “Psalms”
and the Amendments our “Proverbs”?
is each legislation and law passed the “New Testament”?
and what Idol would be President?
oh, dumb question right?
“Money” of course!
and the poor and oppressed are supposed to be the meek that shall inherit it all, do I have that right?
well if that is true,
then why do the powerful act in self interest,
reaping every immediate benefit,
preordaining instant gratification,
if they know that greater gifts and worldly inheritance is gained the complete opposite way, in the long suffering of it all?
or was that just some more religiously politicized rhetoric designed to subjugate, suppress, and quell as many uprisings from the bottom as possible
in order to assure their position with as less resistance and violence as possible-
conditioning being the preferred methodology of systemic and mass population control
oh! I get politics and religion now!

Filed Under: Culture

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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.

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

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