Carol by Sophie Rosenblum I was always putting my foot in my mouth. It was years of gymnastics. We trained long. I brought two leotards to practice. One peeled off by my third round on rings. I was a hard ass. My teammates bounced quarters off it. If it was tails, I picked lunch. We ate at the diner. Sometimes we got a booth. "So luxurious," Carol said. I thought it was trash. I picked apart the vinyl to prove it, showed her my holes. She was not impressed. On the bus we were split. I went back to basics to get her attention. Did pikes on the trampoline for days. Stood on my head for a week. My hair never came down. We won gold. They took us to Tampa. The people there were gold. We tumbled in the sun. Our feet and palms blistered. We stayed in the hotel. I bunked with Carol. Pulled myself up at 3:00 AM. Straddled her like the beam. "I love you," I said. All content in SmokeLong Quarterly copyright 2003-2008 by its authors.
	Sophie Rosenblum is currently finishing her MFA at the University of Houston. In addition to being short-listed for the 2008 Kathy Fish Fellowship, her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Outside World and Gulf Coast. She is also a frequent contributor to the Houston Press. Read the interview.
	Issue Twenty (March 15, 2008): The Cockroach by David Barringer «» Trestle by Matt Briggs «» Worried & Wondering by Aaron Burch «» Dead Dog Rising by Kate Hill Cantrill «» Tinder by Chanel Earl «» Scrape by Utahna Faith «» Arlo's Big Head by Stefanie Freele «» Wei-Ch'i by Vanessa Gebbie «» Last Fall by Katherine Grosjean «» David Dreams of Australopithecines by Savannah Schroll Guz «» The Last Stop by Jenny Halper «» Blue by Stephanie Harrison «» Cadet by Tiff Holland «» Slam by Liesl Jobson «» Beret by Darlin' Neal «» Camp by Elizabeth Oliver «» We by Patricia Parkinson «» Seconds Are Ticking By by Nik Perring «» Brother by Sue Powers «» Carol by Sophie Rosenblum «» Elizabeth Bishop by Glenn Shaheen «» Favorites by Gail Siegel «» Blank by Michelle Tandoc-Pichereau «» Medicinal by Girija Tropp «» Interviews: David Barringer «» Matt Briggs «» Aaron Burch «» Kate Hill Cantrill «» Chanel Earl «» Utahna Faith «» Stefanie Freele «» Vanessa Gebbie «» Katherine Grosjean «» Savannah Schroll Guz «» Jenny Halper «» Stephanie Harrison «» Tiff Holland «» Liesl Jobson «» Darlin' Neal «» Elizabeth Oliver «» Patricia Parkinson «» Nik Perring «» Sue Powers «» Sophie Rosenblum «» Glenn Shaheen «» Gail Siegel «» Claudia Smith «» Michelle Tandoc-Pichereau «» Girija Tropp «» Cover Art "Male Figure" by Marty D. Ison «» Letter From the Editor