Joseph Ross is the author of five books of poetry, including Crushed & Crowned (2023). He teaches high school in Washington, D.C. and writes at www.JosephRoss.net.
Posts By This Author
If Only
Illustration by Laura Freeman
For Elijah McClain (1996-2019). Killed by police in Aurora, Colo., he was known as a gentle soul who played his violin to soothe anxious animals in shelters.
If only a violin could redeem
the world.
Your skin, glowing like the violin’s wood,
might still sing its humble lament.
Audio Reading and Interview with Joseph Ross
Hear Joseph Ross read his poem, Luke 5:1 Disciples.
Luke 5:1 Disciples
This time they are the ones cauth, though they try to close their eyes.
The Church is Already Split
My concern with "Should the Church Split Over Gay and Lesbian Christians?" (February 2004 cover) is simple: For gay and lesbian Christians, the church has been split for a long, long time.
A Man Playing the Flute from a Cliff Above the Pacific
Indigo true
purest blue,
a man on a cliff
waits with open hands
and closed eyes
to receive
a breath.