Poetry and Prose by Russell Wardlow
control of
thoughts
emotions
devotion to
purpose
have in the ancestor’s ability to teach the truth
faith in ability to
assimilate the truth
and
wield the truth
freedom from resentment
under the experience of persecution
and
under the experience of wrong
cultivate ability to
discern between right and wrong
and
discern between the real and unreal
Let Maat be Free
peace, prosperity, health.
Hotep.(peace)
how can a body
stripped of spirit
at the mind
robbed of imagination
contemplate the abstract and absolute
and give the mighty wonders their due homage
when over rationalizing
has served to usurp the throne of knowledge
to proceed
to progress
we have to hurriedly,
process
because by death
is how we leap forth,
and accomplish
we have to die
to receive what we are promised
acting as if our death
is the promise for progress
like it is a preordained constant process
and to the breathless
or bullet riddled body
we say to the blood,
please proceed
because there is unwitting progress
you may achieve
experience is the best teacher indeed
but this is a lesson, that our youth didn’t need
to qualify
the quality
of equality
you must first believe in
and successfully conduct
the qualifying
quality
of inequality
otherwise
why remind,
and enforce within a people
a birthright of humanity
if you did not first
instruct with a crude measure of
inhumanity
to have balance
one must know and act
in the state of
imbalance
therefore to empower
you must first
be willing
to give power
not the illusion of
creating a belief
in a reality
that may never manifest
for all groups
as much as
some groups
or
one group
by design
I am
creation-
light
life
love
balanced
knowing
understanding
wise
I am
created-
able
willing
resilient
persistent
ambitious
inspired
imaginative
I am
creative-
thinking
gifted
talented
diverse
intuitive
innovative
passionate
I am
creator-
constructive
productive
proactive
architect
potter
artist
inventive
but, I am
destroyed-
pushed on
pushed out
pressed on
pressed down
kicked on
stepped on
stood on
trekked on
down looked
looked past
spat on
cut down
broken down
crushed up
built on
used up
cut out
counted out
then, I am
forgotten
forsaken
yet, I am
forgiving?
and yet still,
I Am
an African proverb states,
“they don’t know,
that they don’t know,
that they don’t know.”
and that’s why I ain’t mad atcha
that’s why I don’t hate you,
it’s why I don’t hate myself
That’s why I don’t blame you
it’s why I don’t blame myself
because blind ignorance was both our pilots
flying us to a land of unknowns
where the conditions of survival
were preordained and beyond our control
and so we conformed-
a survival instinct, as to feel like we were in the know
as a result, believing that we know
that there is nothing which we do not know
and that there are no more,
or far less,
unknowns
but if you wish to come from out of
your blanket of blind ignorance
and know
then the first steps of wisdom
is admitting what you don’t know
and that, you do not know
because once you know
you can not un-know
and therefore you can no longer,
be kept warm under the blanket-
of blind ignorance
you may feel colder
the more you grow
but then you will create for yourself
fashioning your own warmth
and blanket of truth
that was there for you,
me,
and us all
since the very beginning
Ashe(let it be so)