“What I Willby Suheir HammadI will notdance to your wardrum. I willnot lend my soul normy bones to your wardrum. I willnot dance to yourbeating. I know that beat.It is lifeless. I knowintimately that skinyou are hitting. Itwas alive oncehunted stolenstretched. I willnot dance to your drummedup war. I will not popspin break for you. Iwill not hate for you oreven hate you. I willnot kill for you. EspeciallyI will not diefor you. I will not mournthe dead with murder norsuicide. I will not sidewith you nor dance to bombsbecause everyone else isdancing. Everyone can bewrong. Life is a right notcollateral or casual. Iwill not forget whereI come from. Iwill craft my own drum. Gather my belovednear and our chantingwill be dancing. Ourhumming will be drumming. Iwill not be played. Iwill not lend my namenor my rhythm to yourbeat. I will danceand resist and dance andpersist and dance. This heartbeat is louder thandeath. Your war drum ain’tlouder than this breath.”

“Eat of my deep earth, drink of my living streams, for I am your Mother. Your heart is my wild drum, your breath my eternal song. If you would live, dance with me!”

“In stillness I hear the drums that others can’t My heart beats to their rhythmRelease your fear and dance with meI’ll show you the moves...”

“Ivy Walker: When we are married, will you dance with me? I find dancing very agreeable. Why can you not say what is in your head? Lucius Hunt: Why can you not stop saying what is in yours? Why must you lead, when I want to lead? If I want to dance I will ask you to dance. If I want to speak I will open my mouth and speak. Everyone is forever plaguing me to speak further. Why? What good is it to tell you you are in my every thought from the time I wake? What good can come from my saying that I sometimes cannot think clearly or do my work properly? What gain can rise of my telling you the only time I feel fear as others do is when I think of you in harm? That is why I am on this porch, Ivy Walker. I fear for your safety before all others. And yes, I will dance with you on our wedding night.”

“Now stop your dancing; you wouldn't come out and dance when I played to you.”

“I hate dancing. I mean, I don't hate it. I just - I'm terrible. I'm totally into music, but I really can't dance."Phew. Relief. "Yeah, you said that this morning. Neither can I." I hitched my thumb at the couples on the dance floor. "Not that I'd call that dancing.""Heh. Yeah.""Sometimes I wish I lived back when people had balls."Oh God. That did not come out right.”