in an effort to lose weight,
i now walk everywhere. today eight thousand steps
up east high, across main, broadway, mill,
a long circle around gratz park. in an effort
to lose weight i avoid mirrors
and grow my hair long enough
to frame, to disappear the picture inside,
oiling it down each night. suddenly i agree
to climb up mountains over six long miles,
everything scratching my calves. the whole way
i dial my music loud, trying not to think of you.
in an effort to lose weight
i fold my round arms over my waist,
untuck my shirt, run all the way
from one conclusion to another,
in an effort to lose
weight i shrink down and down
hoping i’m small enough to be touched or
devoured hoping to live in the bottom
of your stomach hoping a mountain down
into its flat grass beds, its million tiny
green steps, its sun-rippled corners,
its slow shudder between
one breath and the next.