I want to forget the years since I was twelve
comparing myself with bean-pole women,
scarecrows mincing in high heels in the movies,
skinny planks lying down in billboards, forget
how I longed to cut off half my stomach and thighs.

I want to remember walking in heavy boots and
fatigues in the Sierras, my hair in dusty braids,
carrying a twenty-five pound pack, a canteen hung
from my belt, looking only at the mirror
of the mountains when I was a mountain lion.

Julia Stein is a part time English instructor at Santa Monica College. She has Recently published two books of poetry.