Dear readers,
 
A year of the keyboard’s quiet clicks
scripting dull white pages into life
has taught me much of our acquaintance:
that you are the desk-bound force, drinking tea
or fair-trade coffee behind an invisible face
in Paonia, or Westchester, or Uruguay;
and that I am as the woman veiled by rain
who passed you at the bus stop or the city park,
her quick step seeming almost familiar.
 
And yet. I do not know you, readers, from the crowd,
but I recognize your unceasing scrolls
seeking to uncover the answers and questions,
question the answers, about our world:
this curious place we call home.
 
And that is why I hope my passing words,
sweat-molded musings of a changing West,
remain, for you, something almost familiar:
a recognition of kindred spirits,
willing to defend, driven to learn.
 

A published author with a B.A. in environmental writing, Lauren became MNN's first Colorado Correspondent in early 2009. When not at the keyboard or developing her nature photography portfolio, she can be found snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking, caving, or exploring other outdoor adventures across the United States.