Valkyrie

I honestly hadn't given much thought as to what happened to whom, other than Nicky, Casey, and Brandon. I imagined that Nicky survived and spent the rest of his life in prison with no possibility of parole, but it's equally as plausible that he didn't survive the experience. I was bullied in school too, so relate to both Nicky and Casey on some level, although I've never been a violent person so I can't imagine resorting to such extremes. While Casey might not ever escape his past, I see good things in the future for him. I have a feeling that includes friendship or maybe more with Brandon. Thanks for leaving such a thoughtful review. I appreciate it!

Thanks so much, Cassie! I wanted to explore how people react to adversity in different ways. Nicky allowed it to turn him bitter and vengeful, while Casey remained a people-pleaser with a more positive outlook, despite spending so long in prison. I wanted to show that there is hope for Casey. He's not a bad guy... he was just thrown into an unfathomable situation. I appreciate your comments and support. I'm glad you liked it.

Thank you for reading and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate your support and am glad you liked it.

I also loved the juxtaposition in Prelude and especially Fugue. It was like a duet, where the words entwine and harmonize together. I found the visuals of the trees particularly striking. These are all gems, though. Very well done, sir. You continue to outdo yourself.

While the format was unusual, I pictured everything perfectly and even had a few chuckles along the way. I'm really looking forward to reading "Drewcula". Nice job

What Parker said

Wow... that was a very powerful story. Like Cole said, you did a fantastic job of showing vs. telling. I wondered why Tristan was acting so strained toward Miguel. My first thought was he was having an affair. I thought the too-large shirt belonged to someone else, but see now it's probably his own and he lost a lot of weight. I really felt Miguel's concern for his friend. I'm wondering about their relationship. They're referred to as friends, but there was a comment about how Miguel was familiar with Tristan's bedroom. When Miguel finally stepped into the room and saw the disarray and the noose, it immediately brought tears to my eyes. You portrayed the chaos in Tristan's mind extremely well, with the disordered room and the scribblings in his notebook. I have a feeling that Miguel isn't going to be travelling as much now. Very well done, Cali! Any progress on "What's Real to Me?"

I think you captured the moment perfectly. You reminded me of when my grandmother was in the same situation. Nice job.

Yay! Perfect timing, since I have the day off today. Congrats to Cassie and a huge thank you to Renee and team for making the anthos possible. It's nice to see such a large turnout and some new participants.

Casey starts a new job after being released from prison. He wants to make a new start, but his past mistakes aren't far behind him.

This story is well worth reading. I loved it too!

First I have to say that I absolutely love my Ariat paddock boots. lol But I think of them as more of an English company, so I imagine there are better western boots out there. Whew... that was yet another intense chapter! I can't muster up much sympathy for Eric. He certainly deserved to get his ass kicked. I also picked up on the line "All the Coopers are." It's certainly ominous. I don't think we've seen the last of Eric yet. Your writing, and this story, just keeps getting better and better. Oh, and you have me worried now about Ben's revelation that he may not be able to stay monogamous. I'm still rooting for an HEA.

There are three sides to every story. Person A's perspective, Person B's perspective, and the truth. You need to know A and B to get to C. We hear Simon's story and hate the farmer. He must be a horrible person to let such an atrocity happen. Then we learn his own struggles, and develop some empathy for the man. Why do we have to decide who gets compassion? Can't they both? Here's a picture I saw on FB this morning that shows that compassion is still alive. A group of people surrounded a suicidal man on a bridge and held him until help could arrive. It brought tears to my eyes.

It's very easy to judge and condemn others, especially when you only have one side of the story.

Thank you for reading and for the kind words. I really appreciate it.

I bet a Halloween contest would very popular. *hint hint*

I agree with the other reviewers, that is a very powerful line. I also love the last two lines. Great job.

While I wouldn't call this absurd, it's quite lovely. I can picture everything clearly and loved the end.

I think this is the strongest of the lot so far. Encounters such as this are so rife with possibilities, but then we go on our way, our hearts a little happier. Great job.

I could see each one clearly. Nice job.

There's a nice message here. Scars can be looked at as life lessons to learn from and embrace. Nice job.

Thanks for reading, Lyssa. Glad you liked them.

Thanks! The rays are here now, but still waiting on the gelato I had fun this month, too.

Thanks for reading and commenting, Tim. Congrats to you for finishing as well.

I agree with aditus. I particularly liked "September" and the "ashes ashes" poems. The second one also conveyed a lot with few words. I'm very impressed with how you played with the same poem in different forms. They all work quite well in their own way. Nicely done and thanks for participating. See you next April!