Bobby Morris and I

always ended up two partners
not chosen for the square
dance. Standing
in our fifth-grade corners, we'd
eye each other shyly until the teacher
told us to join our brown hands and listen
for the call.

I was born in Seattle, although my parents are from both sides of the border: Canada and Mexico. My first solo adventures were into downtown Seattle on the bus at age 8. Cathy Ruiz