Vol. 16 | 2019 Executive Editor Editors Candace “Candie” Getgen Elizabeth Blain Ryan Kraczon Assistant Rogeena Lynch Harry Mehri Executive Editors Natalie Olson Natalie Barrios Dana Peteroy Zackary de Armond Naudia Reeves Aricely Tavares Managing Editors Lexie Velte Trinia Filer Caylee Weintraub Sandra Mollinedo Layout Editor Poetry Editor Jason Elek Ethan Slocum Art & Design Editor Faculty Advisors Davina Angstenberger Emily Woolf Vallier Lori Cornelius Mangrove RSO Officers Davina Angstenberger Special Thanks Callie Brannon Dr. Billy Gunnels Priyanka Lehr Jim Gustafson Natalie Olson Stephen Cavitt Mangrove Review is the student-edited literary and arts magazine for Florida Gulf Coast University, showcasing the work of FGCU students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and members of the community. The views and opinions expressed in Mangrove Review are solely those of the individual authors and in no way represent those of the editors and staff of Mangrove Review, employees of Florida Gulf Coast University, or the University Board of Trust- ees. Mangrove Review gratefully acknowledges support from the Honors College, the Office of Undergraduate Scholarship, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Student Government of Florida Gulf Coast University. If there are no mangroves, then the sea will have no meaning. It is like having a tree without roots, for the mangroves are the roots of the sea... — words of a Thai fisherman Mangrove Review takes its name from the mangrove tree. Of the more than 50 species of mangroves worldwide, Florida’s three na- tive species — black, white, and red — form the habitat necessary to preserve the life cycle of the estuaries that line the length of the Florida peninsula. Without them, Florida would quite possibly be nothing more than a mere nub off the coast of Georgia. Copyright © 2019 by Mangrove Review No portion of Mangrove Review may be reproduced without permission. Mangrove Review is published annually in the spring. Mangrove Review will consider submissions of poetry, prose, and artwork from Florida Gulf Coast University students, alumni, fac- ulty, staff, administrators, and the community at large. The reading period for submissions is from September 1 to November 30 of each year. Submission guidelines Submissions must be previously unpublished and accompanied by a short biography. Please do not put your name on the manu- script or file name. Instead, include a cover page with the title of your piece, your name, and contact information. Poetry Submit no more than five poems per reading period. Prose Submit up to four narratives, but no more than 10 total pages (3,000 words) typed and double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, for any one reading period. Visual Arts All artwork must be submitted as a high-resolution JPEG image, with the title of the artwork as file name. We will consider no more than five images by any one artist per reading period. Submit your materials to [email protected] Contents Poetry In Lieu of Plans, Dorothy Brooks ......................................................... 9 Last Days, Dorothy Brooks ................................................................. 10 Reaching after Stillness, Dorothy Brooks .............................................. 11 Self Love, Erin Cone ............................................................................. 12 Hurricane, Dr. Edwin Everham III ..................................................... 17 Breakfast Time, Wanya Greene ............................................................. 18 The Wild Nun Sings Too Loud at the Christmas Leaves, Scrod Johnson ...................................................................................... 20 Happiness, Faith Houseworth .............................................................. 21 We Are Boogeymen, Faith Houseworth ................................................ 23 A Box of Memories, Faith Houseworth ............................................... 25 The Book of Water, Diana Howard ...................................................... 26 Santa Monica Unplugged, Diana Howard ............................................. 27 Black: Fear of Fatherhood, Eugene Kinchen ........................................ 28 The Artistic Woman, Eugene Kinchen ................................................ 30 Closed Doors, Erica Terese Krueger .................................................... 31 St. Augustine, Hildy Matthew ............................................................... 32 The Mourning Beach, Marilyn Mecca .................................................... 34 Sunday's Ghost, Marilyn Mecca ............................................................ 35 Through the Trees, Harry Mehri ............................................................ 36 Loss, Binh Nguyen ................................................................................ 37 Shaker Lakes, Nicholas Ranson .......................................................... 44 Mulberries, Naudia Reeves .................................................................... 45 Passing Love, Eduardo Rodriguez Vazquez ........................................ 46 Notes from Art Class, Jan Tramontono ............................................... 47 Visual Arts 44 Hummingbird, Candace "Candie" Getgen ..................................... 49 Ease, Brittny Breier ............................................................................... 50 Elegance, Brittny Breier ......................................................................... 51 Melancholy, Candace "Candie" Getgen ............................................... 52 Serene, Brittny Breier ............................................................................. 53 Simple Beauty, Brittny Breier................................................................. 54 The Magic, Candace "Candie" Getgen ................................................ 55 Cypress in Rain, Hannah Burdge ......................................................... 56 Jiquilillo Fisherman, Hannah Burdge.................................................... 57 Bob's Turtles, Hannah Burdge .............................................................. 58 Nica Chicas, Hannah Burdge ............................................................... 59 Vine Veins, Hannah Burdge ................................................................ 60 Surfing in Lima, Clay Motley ................................................................ 61 Octopus Meets Friend, Arianna Webster ................................................ 62 Octopus and Ship, Arianna Webster ...................................................... 63 Shattered Rainbows, Arianna Webster .................................................. 64 Poetry, continued My Mountaineer, Kerry Wallerius ......................................................... 65 Elves in my Backyard, Sharon Whitehill ............................................... 66 Indecent Exposure, Sharon Whitehill .................................................... 67 Sowing Seeds, Joan Winokur .................................................................. 70 The Ruler Said, Joan Winokur .............................................................. 71 Prose The Windy Hill, Trinia Filer ................................................................. 72 She Hated Honey, Candace "Candie" Getgen ..................................... 87 Christmas Lights, Julie Gramazio ......................................................... 88 The Black Dog of Hanging Hills, Faith Houseworth .......................... 94 The Birdman of Naples, Anna Karras .................................................. 95 Tying the Knot, Anna Karras ................................................................. 98 The Changing Hills of Western Massachusetts, Mark Massaro ............ 100 Listen, Jessica Murphy ........................................................................109 One Last Time, Jessica Murphy .......................................................... 113 A Young Food Critic, Dana Peteroy .................................................... 119 Ink, Naudia Reeves ............................................................................121 The Learned Toad, Savana Scarborough ............................................ 125 Dreams, Thomas Small .......................................................................130 Packing, Sierra Williams .....................................................................133 Daily Route, Sierra Williams ............................................................... 138 `Eleven Teal Roses Left Behind, Megan Willis ...................................... 142 2018 Writing Awards Fiction winner Seawalls, Caylee Weintraub .................................................................145 2018 Writing Awards Poetry winner Childish Dreams, Sydney Van Dreason ............................................. 150 2018 Writing Awards Creative Nonfiction winner South by South, Rogeena Lynch .......................................................... 152 2018 Writing Awards Step Ahead winner Publix Shift, Zackary de Armond ..................................................... 158 About the Contributors ..................................................................163 Cover photo by Erica Terese Krueger Dorothy Brooks In Lieu of Plans attend to light falling through leaves cacophony of birdsong surrender watchfulness tune in to the rhythm of your heart’s beat the taste of rain wait for the next right thing you will