I keep my hope in a birdhouse
and my courage in a box
under the bed.
The courage is always there
if I need it, but I have to dig deep,
get down on my belly, stick my arm
into the dusty darkness and rummage
among the collected clutter of life
before I can finally pull free
the tiny worn-out container
and reach what’s inside …
Poem, in its entirety, is available in the printed version of the current issue.
Bio:
Susan K. Gray has been a daycare worker, short-order cook, data entry clerk, and lab technician. She currently lives, writes, and dances on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations in Vancouver, British Columbia, and hopes to one day figure out what she’s actually doing.