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Read Gary’s Artist Spotlight here!
“Have you ever seen a world without music? or a night without a shimmering moon? Have you ever seen a sky drained of blue? then you’ve seen a picture of me without you. Have you ever seen love remain unspoken? or a heart so totally broken? Have you ever seen tears shed so true? then … Last night, I awakened from a dream. I dreamed of an America in which those sworn to protect and serve, abused and killed instead. An America where hunger turned barbed wire into shredded wheat and stomachs became caskets. An America where masks were discarded and grown men hid under … Life in prison is terrible The noise level can be unbearable Our sentences seem unendable The rules are all unbendable This experience is incredible The chow hall food is inedible C.O’s think we’re detestable But what we eat is indigestible Programmers feel we’re incorrigible And look at us like we’re horrible The public says we’re … You are man-made, just as I was, But you’ve existed for longer than I. You held captive millions of innocent Jews. You stood silent sentinel amidst snow-bound gulags. You remained indifferent to citizenship robbed Japanese. You form barriers to mark national boundaries, So many, thirsting for freedom may … Scurry, scurry, The roaches hurry to get into position it’s chow time again! What’s this we see diced carrots with peas we crawl across the floor seeking such delicacies and more. Doing the backstroke in gravy I’m a sailor in the ranch navy scooped up in a ladle and placed on your tray. Wiggle, wiggle, … Will you dare to drink champagne at breakfast. . . call in sick to work to binge on old movies. . . take a bubble bath in the afternoon. . . to choose a side. . . Will you dare to break the silence of … Within each of us there is a darkside. A bottomless pit which harnesses all of our anger, rage, and hate. Locked away in a steel safe beneath a veneer of civility and smiles. Laying under kindness, generosity, and even love. Yet, as in us all, sometimes the safe is broken. All that has been locked … Four layers of cement boxes, Stacked by the waters of a creek; Each one filled with music. A stranger sits on my bunk, Eating a box of tiny animals. It is his room too. Green beans and meatballs, In steel boxes in hot water. A pool of brown gravy! I accept the filled plastic, Slouching … I am the moon, shining full and ghostly white. I am the crickets, singing their song after dark. I am the firefly, whose dance is a beacon of love. I am the wolf, with a mournful bay of loneliness. I am the stars, like a blanket of spangles on a … I am from Persimmons, from Karo syrup, and grits. I am from the front porch (wide, long, cool in the sweltering heat.) I am from magnolias whose fragrance is the quintessential South. I’m from Sunday dinner and blue eyes, from Joseph Cleo and Kathleen Eunice. I’m from the stiff upper lip and keeping secrets, from … Staring into the abyss, longing for the sun. Living a lie, yet afraid to shed tears, Unable to display any weakness. Sunrise, sunset, the days blur. Searching for answers with none to be found. … “I was almost, so were you there are many almost, more than a few. I almost finished a career, but–well–you know. I was almost President, well — almost Mayor. I was going to Sierra Leone, almost got there. Almost made a million on my job, almost didn’t need to steal or rob. I was almost … You may think that poetry is little more than a song without music. I understand but you’re mistaken. Poetry, can break a heart into a million pieces and then be the glue to mend it. Poetry, can dial the clock back … Ode to a Pandemic You find me at the coffee shop having your daily latte; at the movies, where you meet up with friends for popcorn, At the grocery store, strolling the aisles buying canned tomatoes, You find me on dates which is sad, because on dates I really try to … “Sometimes I want to run away. I fear I’ll die if I should stay. I feel suppressed, claustrophobic. I dream of a world that is utopic. But as I took at the life I lead. reality crushes my wildest dreams. And all that’s left is a handful of dust, that seeps into my skin to … Continue reading Ode To Life In A Small Southern Town – Gary K. Farlow They call you the world’s most tragic artist, filling heights with spirits; On a strange hour unannounced, unplanned for, like some over-friendly guest, uninvited; Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings, where we had shoulders smooth as gentle clouds. No … Who are your people? the elderly lady asked, rockin’ on the front porch while sippin’ some sweet iced tea. We sat, years apart, yet one, as Southerners just love to while away the hours, rockin’ and watchin’ the world go by. Collards, grits, and RC Colas, hissyfits, piddlin’, and smidgen. … For thirty years I was blacksmith of my soul. I put it in the furnace of austerity and burned it in the fire of egotism. I laid it upon the anvil of reproach and beat it with the hammer of blame until I made my soul a mirror. For thirty years … I know, you think poetry is nothing but a reason for a song. I hear you, but its so much more Trust me. A poem can cut deeply and let the blood flow red. A poem can turn the clock back and help you relive lost moments. A … I believe that the interview is a new art form. I believe the interview is the essence of creativity. Asking yourself questions and trying to find the answer. It’s very similar to answering question on the witness stand. It’s that strange area where you try to pin down something that happens at an exact moment. … Locked away for form all to see, is this demon inside of me. Busting out, breaking free, lashing out at you, at me. Destroying all I see and feel, desperately wanting but to kill. This beast withing me cannot control. Hurting all the wrong people. I do not wish to hurt. To destroy what it … The Power of One I am only one man but… There was a man who spent his life in poverty. He was born to humble parents and never traveled further than two hundred miles from his home, yet had an impact upon mankind that has never been equaled. His name was Jesus. I am only … Do you know warm progress under the stars? Do you know we exist? Have you been born yet and are you alive? Let’s reinvent all the gods and all the myths of the ages. Celebrate symbols from the deep elder forests. Our father is cracking the trees of the forests. Our mother is dead in … Why do I live this life, I don’t know. Always trapped in this endless hell. Why do I go on, why do I try? WHen it’s just as easy to roll over and die. Death is the last great adventure. An undiscovered country with endless possibilities. But yet still I am stuck in this reality. … Lions in the streets roaming, dogs in the heat, rabid, foaming, a beast caged in the heart of the city, The body of its dead mother, rotting in the summer ground. We fled the sprawl and thought we crossed the border, left the chaos and disorder, back over there, beyond our shoulder. One morning to … Here they come, Walking down the hall, They tear up our property Going through it all. Hey, Hey it’s a shake down, The PERT team don’t monkey around, Better not have no contraband You can’t hide it from these clowns. They yell lock down, And turn the water off, All dressed in camouflage, Don’t let … Take the very breath away from me if you wish, take all away, but… do not take away your laughter. Do not take away the rose, the delicate bloom of you, your passion, like the dew suddenly bursts forth in joy, a sudden wave of silver burn in … A Picture of Me…Without You – Gary Farlow
America – Gary Farlow
An Inmate’s Lament – Gary Farlow
Carpe Diem – Gary Farlow
Chow Call – Gary Farlow
Dare…To Be – Gary Farlow
Darkside – Gary Farlow
Fragment of a Dream (A prison passage) – Gary Farlow
I Am – Gary Farlow
I Am From – Gary Farlow
Into the Abyss – 3 – Gary Farlow
It Might Have Been – Gary Farlow
Make A Stand – Gary Farlow
Ode to a Pandemic – Gary Farlow
Ode To Life In A Small Southern Town – Gary K. Farlow
On Michelangelo’s Angels (The Sistine Chapel) – Gary Farlow
Porches, Puddin’, and Persimmon – Gary Farlow
Reflections – Gary Farlow
Revelation – Gary Farlow
Self Interview – Gary Farlow
The One Within – Gary Farlow
The Power of One – Gary Farlow
To Life – Gary Farlow
Waiting – Gary Farlow
Wasteland – Gary Farlow
You’re Busted – Gary Farlow
Your Laughter – Gary Farlow
Gary K. Farlow attended Guilford Technical Community College, majoring in Administration of Justice. He completed undergraduate studies at the John Marshall School of Law in Atlanta, and earned a Juris Doctorate from the Thomas Jefferson College of Law at Head University in Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He also holds degrees from Western Illinois University, South Piedmont Community College, Montgomery Community College, and Southeastern Theological Seminary. He is past chairman of the Greensboro Human Relations Commission; represented North Carolina Governor James G. Martin on the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators; represented North Carolina at the 1984 national Conference of the Aged; was a Reagan and Bush Administration nominee for the African Development Foundation; served on the United Arts Council of Greensboro, Greensboro Historical Museum and Society, and the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. He is a former vice president of the Gate City Jaycees, the Lions Club, and the Founder of the Senior Theatre Consortium. Mr. Farlow’s previous writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Prisoner’s Soul, the Volunteer’s Soul, and The African American Soul, as well as Serving Time, Serving Others, Serving Productive Time, the Journal of the American Health Care Association, and two poetic anthologies of the National Library of Poetry, Essence of A Dream and Visions. He is the author of both Prison-ese: A Survivor’s Guide to Speaking Prison Slang, first edition published by Loompanics Unlimited, and The Cellblock Gourmet: Inmate Recipes From The Big House and Doin’ Time: How to Survive and Thrive in Prison, both published by the Graduate Group. Mr. Farlow is a Former Associate Editor of the East Triad Press and The Greensboro Sun; sports reporter for The High Point Enterprise, and has written various features for The Greensboro News and Record. He is a recipient of the PEN Award for Prison Writers and has written several play scripts including Sticks, which deals with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the nation’s prison system; Beyond Bars, dealing with the difficulties faced by those transitioning back into society after incarceration; A Homeless History Lesson, which explores the plight of the homeless and substance abuse in America. His poetry has been released on audio-cassette by the National Library of Poetry entitled Visions: The Poetry of Gary Farlow. Mr. Farlow has travelled extensively and has been a guest lecturer at Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg, South Africa, and at the Medical University of South Africa in Pretoria. He has appeared on Eye on Washington and Good Morning South Africa. His poetry has also been released in two additional anthologies, Collections, by Iliad Press and The Best Poetry of America, by the National Library of Poetry.
An accomplished artist, specializing in urban landscapes utilizing colored pencil, Mr. Farlow’s works have been on display at Art With Conviction in Tucson, Arizona, the Prisons Foundation and Safer Streets Art Foundation in Washington D.C., and at the Durland Alternatives Library at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Mr. Farlow writes for the Prison Journalism Project.
Hi Jo, I took a look at the link and didn’t see an issue on my end. Can you access the photo here: https://thejusticeartscoalition.org/portfolio/gary-k-farlow/#jp-carousel-78414?
I am interested in seeing Gary’s drawing entitled “Wanna Play?”, which is the only drawing in his portfolio with a broken link. The dog in the thumbnail looks much like my own dog. Can that link possibly be fixed?