At bedtime I went into my room and put out the light. I didn't get undressed. I lay on my bed and looked out of the window at the stars. Furthermore, I read in a book that the stars can take you anywhere. Furthermore, I've never wanted to be an astronaut because of the helmets. If I were up there on the moon, or by the Milky Way, I'd want to feel the stars round my head. I'd want them in my hair the way they are in paintings of the gods. I'd want my whole body to feel the space, the empty space and points of light. That's how dancers must feel, dancers and acrobats, just for a second, that freedom.

Sexing the Cherry