The Orange Spotlight

Haunt Me in the Morning by Jim Wittenberg (Graffiti Kolkata Chaps, April 2010)

I received another package from India this week and this time it contained the new chapbook from Jim Wittenberg. The highly streamlined poet was born in Cuba the son of American missionaries. This fact adds both the cross-cultural element and complex internal struggle of the chapbook. What I mean is it is clear that Jim confident in his ability and clear in his expression, but still is able to convey a certain level of guilt or concern about his faith. What he leaves to the reader’s interpretation is what exactly is haunting him each morning.

"confusion is my essence/since the moment of my conception"

In several pieces Jim describes his life and thoughts as chaotic, but he still manages rope them all into very structured pieces of poetry. However, he still doubts his thoughts, and allows this uncertainty to guide his pen. It is this volatile mixture of faith, chaos, confidence, form, and uncertainty that makes this collection so real and necessary.

Haunt Me in the Morning was published by Graffiti Kolkata and printed by New Gangamata Printing in Kolkata India.

Share