Set out to gather words like field flowers, vine ripe vocabulary hung low from crooked branches, and all too often, I’ve failed the harvest. Can’t compose from stocked shelves, would rather see those redwoods at the edge of flame, bright tulip fields bending in the wind, the apple branches laden with flowers, with bees, with even that fruit, the one with a bruise, and one green worm digging for his dinner. — MONICA FUGLEI
Monica Fuglei is the Composition, Creative Writing, and Journalism Department Chair at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado, where she teaches composition, creative writing, and literature. Born and raised in Nebraska, her work often reflects their unique combinations of personal narrative and love for the environment, even when harsh.