Rehumanization Litany

In Rehumanization Litany, Jarrett Moseley examines multiple forms of recovery—the recovery from addiction along with the recovery of memory and, ultimately, humanity. Moseley’s poems move through the pain of active addiction, the aftermath of trauma, and the grief of losing friends to overdose, toward the beauty of a community formed in the midst of survival. In one elegiac poem, the speaker encapsulates the hope that often courses through addiction: “If I dig a hole beneath myself, I’m waiting / for someone to fill it.” 

A chorus of recurring voices emerges throughout this collection, together forming a litany that speaks humanity back into the lives of those struggling with addiction. To speak a name is to resist dehumanization. And, as the title poem suggests, “Any good hostage knows / the first thing to do is tell your captor your name.”