Deniability
"Witte's achievement rests in maintaining his poise and applying his considerable intelligence even in the heat of the national moment....this collection stands a chance of enduring as a work of witness."--American Book Review"Poetry is as ancient as language. It ranges from the simple pun to the complex metaphor. And at its best it is nothing less that music for the mind. Such is the caliber of poetry by George Witte that is now compiled intoDeniability. This is Witte's second anthology and is particularly notable for his deft skills in creating memorable verse. 'Just Cause': A line is crossed, unnoticed by command/But photographed in fame's amoral flash./Bodies piled, trophy game atop which rests/One boot; smiles of shy surprise, unabashed.//Another line and wilderness surrounds/Us, humid aisles where everything's displayed/Conscripted to absolve our choices God/Deserts to find a new identity.//We bushwhack through thick scrub, directionless/The way's degraded, markers overgrown/Where filthy water swamps the lowest place/We lost crusaders kneel, and choke it down."  --Midwest Poetry Review"[Deniability] looks closely at our troubled times, as well as the troubling language and verbal abuse that surfaces in such uncertain moments: clichés and euphemisms, code words and doublespeak.... With loose but careful measures and a keen regard for the exactly right word, Witte examines every opened can of worms before kicking it down the road. Smart, timely, and sane, this volume is highly recommended." --Library Journal, February 1, 2009