Parker Owens

Thank you very much for your kind words. I’m hardly a master of poetry; there are others on this site whose gifts far exceed mine. But I’m glad the soupçon of mathematics made you smile!

The weather is out of whack in many places. Perhaps our hearts at least remain constant, as is our delight in the best parts of April.

I’m glad you liked these! Sorry they induced headaches, but at least there weren’t any import taxes on them.

This is my collection of poetry written for April 2025, National Poetry Writing Month.

April 1 The calendar may tell us that it’s spring but what I see beyond the windowpane may disagree about most everything its lettered dates insist on, quite in vain. The buds which opened yesterday are gone and buried underneath a coat of snow that covers every square inch of the lawn to smother all beneath its frozen woe. How good that plants are made of sterner stuff; they somehow know a method to survive so that, perchance the sun

I’ve had so many jumbled thoughts about Reed’s journey. There are disconnected scenes in my head, but the thread to bind them together isn’t spun yet. Maybe it’s because, like you, Andy and Zander are still too much in my head to make room for Reed. Thanks very, very much for your comments on this final scene in A to Z.

You’re most kind in your comments, and you’re very welcome. Perhaps Robert can kindle the flame of love and family with Ed. We can only hope.

A fascinating story set in a fascinating world just got deeper and richer.

Let’s hear it for Mr. Mancino! He’s just made Damian’s day turn around. Maybe it can be the start of something better.

Work experience really sounds like something out of purgatory. Ed’s mentor seems to have it right, in that it’s proof the student can show up on time and do as one is told. However, that’s pretty much it. Liam has gotten to absorb even more about his family, and it’s not particularly edifying. While Aunt Sadie isn’t hostile, she seems similarly egocentric and superficial to Liam’s mother. It’s more a matter of degree. At least she’s full of information.

Thank you. The world today needs Zander and Andy more than ever.

I have had several stillborn tries at a longer, more sustained follow up story. I have posted several shorter stories connected to A to Z, which all have the word “observation “ in their titles. You may have seen these.

I’m very grateful you took the time to read Andy’s story, especially sticking with him through his darkest days. I’m glad you found the last chapters to be as fun to read as they were for me to write. Thanks a million for your comments, which I appreciate very much.

Your powers of prediction are excellent . But Ambrose showing up was indeed a jarring surprise. Thanks for continuing to read Andy's story.

You've identified the pitfalls of emancipation and the hitches in Andy's marriage plan. It helps that Monica and Garrett love Andy and Zander as people and as a couple. Even Judge Harrison is predisposed to like Andy - and to frustrate Chandler, if the letter of the law is satisfied. Monica's insistence on a church wedding is a way to make the union as official and durable as possible in the eyes of both family and the wider community. As you say, the Carlsberg question remains open, but Andy is no more or less vulnerable on that score if his plan succeeds. Thanks for thinking deeply about this!

Given time, Mrs. Chandler could make real trouble for Andy and his new family. It helps that she must officially take note of Judge Harrison's admonition, as well as answer to the County Commission for the undoubtedly pointed message the Judge will convey to them. Damage control will be the first order of her administrative business for a while at least. But I agree, she could be a source of danger in the months to come. Thanks very much for your thoughts and for reading!

Terry wouldn’t hesitate to go nuclear on Bruce. He would be dead meat, socially, in under 24 hours if he went after Zander. Bruce might realize this dimly. He must have tipped off FPS. Mrs. Chandler is a bully, plain and simple. Garrett stood up to her, but it remains to be seen whether she will get her way. Fortunately, Andy is in the right place with the right people around him, as you say. Thanks a million for reading his story and for being in his corner.

I thank you for adding your voice to the others who commented in a similar vein. Andy is in the process of becoming the person he was meant to be. It was so much fun to write it. Thanks again.

When I finished writing this chapter long ago, I stopped to reflect on his far Andy had traveled - not just in the world, but in his spirit, too. It not just his feeling hot and randy on the phone with Zander, it’s also his feeling comfortable enough with Garrett to engage him in conversation as he drives for the first time. He’s definitely comfortable being touched by Zander, and perhaps being hugged by Monica. Those tall, thick walls are now just fences. Thanks very much for reading and for commenting.

Andy definitely feels a connection and a debt to Eustace. He originally said that he’d learned more from Eustace in two days than in all his years with his father. Thank you for your insight, and for reading Andy’s ongoing story.

Andy has finally found Zander and his family who embrace him in love - and he can embrace them in trust, also. Zander may indeed have read more of that journal than he let on. I really appreciate your comments about a follow up to Dr. Wagner's initial examination. A colonoscopy may indeed be indicated - but it may take some weeks to arrange. For the moment, that's a date far off Andy's radar. In any case, Andy can hardly speak of past events to himself, let alone Dr. Wagner. You're quite right that Andy could benefit from a good therapist. Thank you very, very much for your thoughts and comments, and especially for reading!

Andy's choice to return and move toward instead of away is a significant alteration from his previous reactions to adversity. He is consciously choosing, not having his path chosen for him - perhaps for the first time. Thanks for your comments, and for continuing to read Andy's story.

Marge Dowell has apparently formed many young lives in Blackburn. Andy is simply the latest in a long string. Perhaps he is beginning to realize what her trust may mean, and how different she is from most other adults he has encountered. Yes, the walls are not as tall or thick as they once were. Thanks again for your thoughts!

Thanks again for your comments, both here and in the previous chapter. Such comments are invaluable to me. Andy surely wants to believe in something or someone good in that moment, even if he doesn't understand or know how to connect.

Thank you very, very much for these comments. I really appreciate them. I'll cheerfully admit that there are thin spots in this chapter, and you identified them well. There may be plausible reasons why each of the things you mentioned didn't immediately give Andy away, but you make it clear that the ice on which he skates in this text is thin indeed - cracking, even. The cell call to Andy's late unlamented father may indeed have gone to someone else's voicemail, or to the helpful no longer in service message. In either event, there was no one on the other end of the line, and Andy's ruse worked for moment. A different reason for Andy's report card not causing as much of a stir as it might have exists, but I will not mention it here, so as not to color future reading. In the same vein, there may be a reason why the Carlsberg police aren't on the listening/tracking end of Andy's call. By ending up in Zander's family barn, Andy caught a huge break. He was welcomed and cared for, something which must feel quite alien to him. Awaking to warmth must have had him wondering if he were dreaming. Once again, thank you for reading, and for your very perceptive thoughts.