Stephanie Woolley-Larrea is a MFA-carrying, middle school teaching, writing mama of three year old triplets.  Her work has been published in Sentence, Gulfstream and Vox, and also won 1^st Place in the Florida International University Literary Awards competition.  She is currently seeking publication for her non-traditional memoir entitled Kokopelli Dreams and is at work on a second memoir about parenthood and gay adoption.

In my other me, the one who is all the things I am not,
I meditate for hours and glean understanding.
My skin is always properly moisturized.
I understand toxics and tonics.
The dogs are always bathed.
My negative pregnancy tests don’t phase me.
The phases of the moon have spiritual significance.
I can sympathize without becoming entrenched.
When I finish yoga I look peaceful.
I only need one pair of shoes.
Motherhood is only one of the things I want.
I wake up early, unassisted, and am happy about it.
I don’t care if I haven’t shaved my legs.
I don’t say unkind things.
My underwear always matches my bra.
I eat organic vegetables that I grew in my garden.
I file my nails with something besides my teeth.
I quote from texts I read only once.
I must write at least once a day.
My eyebrows are always tweezed.
Everything I own is functional and nothing was harmed creating it.
I can find everything I need in an uncluttered purse.
My clothes are hung in a closet, not on a chair.
My faith and my being are intertwined.

© Stephanie Woolley-Larrea 2006.