Impunity

In the title poem, the dying mother asks: "Will my daughter be able to come and go with impunity?" Stenhouse's ironically titled collection plays against the backdrop of this mythic riddle. Privilege is tied to punishment: two sides of the same seemingly inescapable coin. In these poems, even nature is seen through a lens of power, money, sex and addiction. These themes and others unfold in images both startling and effortless. We see a poet tackling the big questions, unsatisfied with easy answers, longing for clear borders, for definition, for love and redemption-for impunity. Stenhouse writes with clarity, humor, bravery-her fresh wisdom underscores the visceral details that allow us to see the world as if we have just landed on it.