The Martha Graham quote that inspired this poem is one my friend Emily shared with me during a time when I was doing a lot of thinking about everyday rituals and creative ongoingness. I kept wanting both the poem and my creative ethos to arrive at a more comfortable system than uncertainty, but ultimately, couldn’t shake that vulnerability keeps me open, helps me connect to myself, to others, and to the mysteries of this world.

Violeta Garcia-Mendoza is the author of Songs for the Land-Bound (June Road Press, 2024). Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Sugar House Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, RHINO, The Slowdown, and elsewhere. Violeta lives with her family on a small certified wildlife habitat in suburban western Pennsylvania.