Impunity

the long version

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.