Parker Owens

These are great. My hat is off to your for these acute observations.

A beautiful, wonderful chapter. I enjoyed soaking up the scene, the sounds and the tastes of CJ's 21st. And the final toasts made me smile and search for a tissue box. Lovely.

Your analogy to the hydra sounds very apt. You fought it successfully. That makes me want to cheer and do a small dance. As you walk through shadow and sunshine, carry your powerful new mantra like a sword of old, keeping the dragons at bay; and in your left pocket, carry me, my voice raised and added to your own.

I very much enjoyed this story, as well as the thoughtful ideas Mann offered.

Thank you for unlocking this poem and sharing it with us. It’s beautiful.

This is a beautiful story, but a difficult one, too. You navigated its shoals and reefs well. The idea that gay teachers might be child molesters is still firmly entrenched in many minds, making the lives of some teachers very difficult indeed. Stephen is in a tough spot, but Korey surely must have given him encouragement.

Thank you for reading these. Your kind words mean a lot. But I’m sorry winter has got you down.

Like @Carlos Hazday, I feel that I want more. But this is an excellent story, as it has drawn me into it quite easily.

There is no right or wrong decision; if Noah's mom spoke her mind truly, then Noah would very likely be cut off. His fears are justified. He loves Jordan, but their love will pull and twist and torque out of all shape as he tries to reconcile that love to losing the family he grew up with. Noah simply cannot hate them enough to let them go - that's not realistic. But neither is it realistic for Noah to give up Jordan without his heart breaking into a zillion little pieces. And so he chose one heartbreak over another, as so many of us have done. This is the tragedy of their lives, and I am not at all sure there is any redemption for it. At least Jordan has given himself the chance to move forward and find something like happiness. Noah may never find such fulfillment, living a hollowed out life. A very sad chapter.

My blush is warm enough to melt the snow.Thank you so much for reading these, and for your very kind comments. I'm glad you liked the swaddled infant spring; it was a thought I could not bear to resist. And the ages twixt the mover and the moved was another such phrase I wanted very much to use. I am glad it worked out.

The earth will warm as she makes her way back to us; and the earth can rise and throw off its blanket. But not quite yet. For now, the green earth is cradled in rest before its exuberant dance soon to come. Thank you so much for reading, and for your comments.

I am glad these helped make the long dark months more bearable. Thank you for reading them, and for your comment.

Despite the January cold, we do indeed feel brightly lit, warmed beneath the blanket of snow. I’m glad you could relate to these. Thank you so much for reading!

It isn’t always easy to love January in the north, is it? Yet it’s a beautiful time if we can unwrap our scarves and blink in the brief sunshine long enough to see. Many thanks for your kind words on these.

January Thick fall the flakes, a covering of white will clothe the flesh of earth in bands of snow and swaddle infant spring as on that night when angels sang hosannas long ago. Soon must the restless spirit of the green rest deep in silent slumber, cold and still, beneath the silver gaze of heaven’s queen exhausted by its growth, as children will. Yet soon Persephone her duvet stirs, awaking laughter bubbling in my heart, such

People who think this is ancient history ought to read this poem. It is just as real today as it was then.

Wow. Great start to a piece of dystopia.

What I love most about this chapter is the love that burns so brightly in every line and paragraph. Don and Louis demonstrate over and again that they are a sure solid foundation not only for themselves but for so many others. Their joy may be the best medicine Max could ever have. Thank you for this story, and for this chapter, especially.

Okay, this is going to be interesting! Looking forward to where this goes.

I very much enjoyed this chapter. How indeed to extract a royal head from the regal posterior? Nico is, I fear, in for a very difficult task. At least Ivan appears to be an ally in the effort. I really like the addition of Henry as a canine character.

I am heartened to hear about the 'emergency morning list' and that you have identified four factors to your difficulties. I hope what you describe will help ease the burden you carry. It can't be easy to share so much of yourself with everyone, and I admire you for doing so.

What happens to me is that I get interrupted or rushed in my reading - I get just a few minutes to read on many days. If I can, I circle back to pick up the thread of the story or poem and try to make a thoughtful comment. But I know that I am guilty of forgetting sometimes, which I regret. Like @droughtquake, I've wondered why mine is one of very few comments - or even the only one - on a great piece.

CJ's 21st birthday certainly makes for a memorable weekend. Nobody who was part of it will forget. Thanks for bringing plenty of snapshots to us of characters we've enjoyed getting to know. I enjoyed watching you weave them all together in this chapter. Thanks so very much for this excellent birthday bash.

This is awesome. A Ballade is tough, but satisfying work to me. My hat is off to you for making this come out so well. So many unforgettable moments and scenes you describe; you paint them vividly for the reader. I’m right there with you, seeing these amazing things. Thank you!

I really relate to this - many times I have felt stuck in an endless cycle of hours and days without change or progression. You paint this picture very well.