Witness
Witness by Shawn Pittard, published by Poetry Box on December 15, 2024, is a 36-page collection that delves into profound themes of family, love, aging, dementia, caregiving, and death. Grounded in vivid landscapes of rivers, oceans, and forests, this work presents an intimate exploration of identity and the transitions that accompany older age. Through personal reflections, the poet navigates the complexities of caring for his declining mother, leading to a deeper understanding of his own essential self.
Readers will find that the poems in Witness serve as meditations on the intricate connections between life and mortality. The collection invites contemplation on the paradoxes of existence, where the mundane can become sacred and losses may reveal unexpected gifts. With a focus on the emotional landscape shaped by caregiving and aging, this edition offers a thoughtful perspective on the human experience, encouraging readers to reflect on their own journeys and relationships.
Official synopsis Publisher
Grounded in a landscape of rivers, oceans, forests and dreams, Witness is an intimate and unflinching exploration of family, love, aging, dementia, caregiving and death. These poems are meditations on the changing sense of identity we experience in older age which, ultimately, reveals one’s unique, intrinsic character. By caring for his declining mother, the poet is guided into his own older age and towards a better understanding of his own essential self.
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“The poems in Shawn Pittard’s Witness offer us a world where every breath, every step could be the last, yet each also serves as revelation, a panorama, a shimmering strand in the web of connection and existence.”
-Susan Kelly-DeWitt, author of Frangible Operas
“With these reflections Pittard invites us to appreciate the paradoxes raised by death-the mundane becoming the sacred; the losses, a gift; mortality AND joy.”
-Molly DenBoer Stuart, facilitator, “Conversations About Death” programs
“It is a work of beautifully assembled words shaped around gratitude and respect. It is a book of sharing. … Deeply personal. A reflection. A celebration- Shawn opens the door and welcomes you to come inside.”
-Danyen Powell, facilitator, The Sacramento Poetry Center’s Tuesday Night Poetry Workshop
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