I think

I will stay

here awhile.

 

Where

dark haired

strangers smile

with their

crooked teeth,

 

touching my

red hair

and asking

the name

for my freckles.

—

Born and raised in Portland Oregon, Susie Sweetland Garay received a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Brigham Young University, spent some years in the Ohio Appalachians and currently lives in the Willamette Valley with her husband and cat where she works in the Vineyard industry. She spends her free time writing, growing plants and making art. She has been published in a variety of journals, on line and in print, and co-edits The Blue Hour Literary Magazine and Press.