“Walt Whitman
writes: 'I am he attesting sympathy.' Joseph Ross could say the same.
The poems in Ache flow from a fountain of compassion for those so
often denied these sacred waters: immigrants crossing the border at
their peril, people of color murdered by police now and half a
century ago, the martyrs whose names we know—from Trayvon Martin to
Archbishop Romero—and whose names we do not know. In one breath,
the poet speaks in the voice of Nelson Mandela, addressing the mother
of lynching victim Emmett Till; in the next breath, he speaks of his
own high school student, a young Black man spat upon by an officer of
the law. In clear, concise language, Joseph Ross praises and grieves
the world around him, the music as well as the murder. He also
engages in prophecy: ‘If you leave your country in the wrong hands,
/ you might return to / see it drowning in blood, / able to spit /
but not to speak.’ Yes, indeed.” - Martín Espada