Martha Graham in "Letter to the World"

"You have so little
time," she writes, "each
instant is so

exciting. At first,
in the early days I was
made fun of. I was

in my long underwear.
I took off my bangles.
We took women
off pointe shoes

I wanted life the way
it is." her long neck,
her lips dark, like a
young girl’s. "Only

dance if you have to.
If you think you want a
family, a home, don’t"

Her words, a swirl of
her body, hair pulled
back, her face

wide open