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Weaponry

By Kim Addonizio b. 1954 Kim Addonizio

I used an arrow to kill the spider.

I used a steamroller to flatten the worm.

For the ants I called in an air strike.

Bee that found its way in through the screen:

blowtorch.

The mammals were easier—

a bucket of water for submerging the cat,

a poisoned word thrown to the dog.

For love, only a kitchen match. That

and a stove leaking gas

and waiting until the dinner

was good and burned.

Source: Poetry (February 2009).

Biography

Kim Addonizio was born in Washington DC, the daughter of a former tennis champion and a sports writer. She attended college in San Francisco, earning both her BA and MA from San Francisco State University, and has spent much of her adult life in the Bay Area. She currently lives and teaches workshops in Oakland, California. Addonizio has received numerous awards for her work, including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation . . .

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