A digital artwork part of F&S's fifth zine issue, I'm Sorry.

Rowan Hynds (she/they/he) is a Two-Spirited multidisciplinary artist of Anishinaabe, Irish, & Scottish descent. They currently reside on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking people. Rowan believes above all that the relationship between artist & audience is one of mutual vulnerability, often challenging themself to share instances of trauma & healing at their rawest points. For Rowan, the goal is to find a space where artistic abstraction distills the personal into a shared feeling & experience. Whether it’s poetry, song, painting, or sketch, they can be found at their most Human when engaged in some form of storytelling.

"I tend to prefer to let my words speak for themselves, but I do want to give a brief trigger warning for this piece as it discusses the topic of sexual assault. When faced with the prompt “I’m sorry,” I came to a question I had been agonizing over for the better part of a year: what happens when “I’m sorry” is not enough? I wrote this poem at a time where I was forced to confront a very bitter truth: that the person who had hurt me was remorseful, & even knowing that, I still didn’t feel better. I didn’t actually want an apology. I wanted to know why. I wanted it to make sense. I had to face the realization that those weren’t answers I was going to get; that my abuser was not self-aware enough to recognize their own motivations, nevermind give me the closure I desperately wanted."

I'm Sorry

Contents

#link:hover { color: #F2942F; } I. Introduction by Chelsea Kaiah

#link:hover { color: #6BC09C; } II. SMAD Peach by Sumer Mohsen

#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } III. Please leave a message 001 by Brandyn Busico

#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } IV. NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS by Mahalia Hunt
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } V. Violin Landscapes by Joshua Jauregui
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } VI. Remembering by Iako'tsi:rareh Amanda Lickers
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } VII. Roses Soft by Cherish Marquez
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } VIII. Untitled by Holly Nordeck
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } IX. Jane Roe by Natani Notah
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } X. Crater by Rowan Hynds
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } XI. Bridges We Burn by Carmen Selam