In “Pump, Plié, Jump,” Cornelius Jones reclaims his muscles, vanity and love after a HIV-positive diagnosis. When he performs the piece, he interacts with the audience. He flirts, lures and asks questions about his body. He breaks into exercise: he runs, sweats and chugs water. He confesses about the HIV related mental breakdown. The performance ebbs and flow between terror and revival; however, the poem’s nerve is the literal deconstruction of the body.