by Meghan Laakso I let out a long, forced exhale as I left the examination room. In my hand I held a light blue piece of paper, prescribed for Effexor. The doctor’s hand fell on my shoulder, making me jump out of my anxious thoughts. “This will help you feel better, Meghan,” he said. “If … Continue reading Revealing Vulnerability
by Emily Hanson Every issue of Rock & Sling witnesses to a myriad of different ideas, feelings, and actions and each piece does so in a way that is specific to the individual writer. Issue 12.2 is no different than the rest in how it witnesses to a diverse set of ideas, but, what makes … Continue reading 12.2, an Issue in Review
by Alanna Carlson Anyone who knows me knows that I am unabashedly, loudly, political. Not infrequently, a family member (often on the other side of the political aisle than myself) will ask me some variation of the question, “Why do you care so much about something that doesn’t really affect your life?” I have, until … Continue reading What Witness Means
by Margaret Rozga As a person who has long been active in social and racial justice movements, my goal as a poet is to create poetry written from a deep commitment to social justice issues. My books can serve as examples. 200 Nights and One Day is about the Milwaukee fair housing marches in which … Continue reading Vox II: Contributor Notes
These shifts of the perceived subject happen frequently throughout the poem, and cause me as a reader to reread previous lines differently due to the knowledge gained from later lines.
With a poem, faith is a hidden constellation, beginning with the still-mysterious act of writing. The blank page, which is simultaneously white and dark, is the abyss each writer stares into until the moment, as Nietzsche said, where the abyss stares back into the writer.
When we reach out in words, where we’re safe, we prepare to cross a boundary with respect at our next opportunity. We prepare to offer the comfort we weren't able or brave enough to offer when our last chance arose.
hese poems are my way of honoring the mysteries of the natural world—weather, geology, our human impermanence—using metaphor and image, rhythm and form to understand our roles in such an intricate system.
What can I offer them? What can I write to them when their fears and questions—along with mine—are so loud in our ears?
Marlena Bontas's poetry appears in Rock & Sling 10.2. Of "I Slaughtered Your Horses," she writes: "I believe there is a deep connection between faith and literature. The most obvious one is the Bible, as there is a great narrative built around the time before and after Christ. The Book of Revelation is closely related to … Continue reading From 10.2: I Slaughtered Your Horses by Marlena Bontas
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