Table of Contents
After Albert W.A. Schmid’s Block and Fall brandy cocktail in
How to Drink Like a Spy
Secret agents can block punches
and fall down stairs.
It’s the job –
to read a room, to notice
and fall down stairs
but not get hurt. A skill –
to read a room, to notice
like managing a disease
while not getting hurt. A skill –
stay relaxed and hyper-alert
like managing a disease.
When stairs of all kinds appear
stay relaxed and hyper-alert.
Minimize and rebound
when stairs of any kind appear.
Trust yourself. Improvise,
minimize and rebound.
Secret agents can block punches.
Trust yourself. Improvise.
24/7. It’s the job.
About the Author
Katy Giebenhain
Katy Giebenhain is a poet and occupational health tech. She is interested in visual art and writing that amplifies public health issues, especially access to medicines. She is the author of Sharps Cabaret (Mercer University Press). Poems have recently appeared in American Journal of Nursing and the Poetry Wales “How I write a poem” rubric.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.