The Poetry of Sue Kunitz

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Published Works:
A Day in Winter's Mouth
Betty
The Boss
Braced for Impact
Dryer
Ice Speaks
Love in Winter
The Moon
Paddling
The Secret Dancer
She Wolf
Telephone Lines
What Doesn't Feel Like Work
Women's Retreat
Words

Braced for Impact

body can't obey my mind
left arm thinks it holds a shield
against an unseen foe
I am ready for that something which I can't see
body carries out, instructions of my fears

when I fly off rooftops
my mind in flight, body gets ready
for landing on the cobblestones below
“I am ready,” body says, a misguided Boy Scout

teach oh teach my body to fly as my mind
don't let it scold me day after day
“At least I am ready, braced for impact.”

Performance at Bloomington Art Center (September 2008)