Joseph Ross' "Hammering on Rocks"

Poem of the Week:    Joseph Ross                                                                        Hammering on Rocks       for Nelson Mandela Hammering  on rocks   can  break  the  hammerer's  back when  stooped under  the  weight  of  identity cards  the  color  of  scorn. But  somehow  you  knew that  the  earth's  breath drew  in  and  out with  the  same  rhythm as  your  own. Somehow  you  also  knew the  rocks  you  cracked into  two  decades'  dust were  watering  the  country who  sat  silently  in  your  cell, more  a  prisoner  than  you. -Joseph Ross Used by permission. From Gospel of Dust (Main Street Rag, 2013)   Photo by: Ted Schroll Joseph Ross is the author of two collections of poetry,Meeting Bone Man (2012) and Gospel of Dust (2013). His poetry has earned multiple Pushcart Prize nominations and the 2012 Pratt Library - Little Patuxent Review Poetry Prize. His poems appear in many anthologies and journals includingCollective Brightness: LGBTIQ Poets on Faith, Religion and Spirituality, Tidal Basin Review, Drumvoices Revue, Poet Lore, and Beltway Poetry Quarterly. In 2007, he co-editedCut Loose the Body: An Anthology of Poems on Torture and Fernando Botero's Abu Ghraib. He teaches in the Department of English at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. and writes at JosephRoss.net.  Please feel free to forward Split This Rock Poem of the Weekwidely. We just ask you to include all of the information in this email, including this request. Thanks! If you are interested in reading past poems of the week, feel free to visit the blog archive.

Poem of the Week Open Call   Split This Rock began the Poem of the Week program in October 2009 as a way of publicizing the poets who were to be featured in the 2010 festival. We have since continued the series by featuring the work of participants of our festivals. This call is open to any poet writing in the socially engaged vein -- festival participant or not.    Visit our blog for specifics and submission guidelines.  We look forward to reading your work! Support Split This Rock  Please support Split This Rock, the national network of activist poets. Donations are fully tax-deductible.  Click here to donate. Or send a check payable to "Split This Rock" to: Split This Rock, 1112 16th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. Many thanks! Contact info@splitthisrock.org for more details or to become a sponsor.