Impulse to Fly

by Almitra David

Poetry. "Purity of feeling and clarity of vision literally shine through these how Almitra David can remain so uncorrupted by the evil her unflinching truthfulness confronts is one of the wonders of this collection. At the center of this book, the historical figure Beatrice Cenci speaks and acts for all those silenced, desolate women who 'could not see [because] he was in / front of my / eyes,' and asks 'what air is this / that lets my / words hang / and fade unheard.' These poems alter the very air we breathe with their recovery of the unheard, the dignity of their restraint, and the sweetness of their sorrowing compassion for us all"--Eleanor Wilner. Poems from this collection have also appeared in The American Poetry Review, The American Voice, The Beloit Poetry Journal and Ellipses.

Paperback

Published December 10, 1998