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Parker Owens

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  1. Parker Owens

    Chapter 1

    Tansy pudding! That’s a new idea - and my garden has plenty of tansy plants. They grow tall in the summer, and try to propagate by flopping sideways and seeding themselves in the fall. The Apostate is a story I shall have to look for. Your description makes it sound irresistible. Of all the varieties mentioned in Abundance, the Transparent Yellows are the ones I miss most. Decades ago, they grew in my father’s trees and in abandoned farm meadows now long forested over. As for winter storms, they would be so much easier to curse were they not also sources of many faceted beauty. Thanks so much for your reactions and responses to this set.
  2. Thank you for many kinds of inspiration and encouragement. The Melville Sea Song is just one example of such a gift you have given. I hope you liked that one especially.
  3. Your steady supply of excellent poetic examples must be my subconscious inspiration. As soon as you mentioned August Stramm, I saw that possible connection. I confess to have been taken with shorter lines to see what could be made of them. Your invention allows for development and a broad range of expression. It’s no wonder I’ve turned to it often. Thank you many times over for it!
  4. That skyscraper speaks to so many nights in March and April, when a cold rain blows in from the northwest. I sometimes wonder what the trees are saying to the rain and wind, even as the sound of the brook comforts me and them. Thanks so much for your kindness in responding to these.
  5. It could be set to music, and I might attempt it, too. It could be used as a postlude as the altar is stripped and the candles slowly snuffed out, one by one, if not at communion. Thank you very much for your kindness in revisiting this set, and especially that sonnet.
  6. Yesterday morning, I awoke to this. Quite a wake-up call.
  7. Thank you for checking out this chapter of the 2024 collection. Cream Cans is indeed a life lesson. Thanks very much for your comments.
  8. You did. Thank you very much for reading and for sharing your thoughts on these and all of the poems this month.
  9. The Sea Song sang itself to me the other day. I love it when poetry does that in my head, when I have to hurry just to get it onto paper. I’m so glad you liked it! I'm really happy we took the challenge this year; I almost didn’t. But at the end, adding the last extra day was irresistible. Thanks so much for your thoughts and for reading, and especially for your poems this month!
  10. You’re very welcome. The end of this month has seen so many beautiful renewals. It is indeed a season of hope.
  11. 28. To the Green All the world has gone green— the grass and forest floor, new budded rose bushes, rising peas and parsley, old stones and fallen trunks with new moss coats to wear, and spear-sprouted iris from their old, gnarled rhizomes— every tree and flower waves spring’s royal banner, adorned with their accents like purple for vinca, grey for sage and hemlock, and trout lily’s bold yellows, all shouting for the bees
  12. Parker Owens

    Chapter 5

    I really, really liked your #28 on Silence. Silence isn't just the absence of sound, it has a feel to it that I can't describe. However, you've described it in words that make me feel silence flowing, moving through and around me. It's a gem. So too are your sonnets. I can't decide which I like better, #29 or the Bonus. The third stanza of #29 appeals to me: there's a visual image of the poet there that sprang directly to mind. The second stanza of the Bonus, as well as its final couplet, stand out, too. I confess to being scared to try a Monostich, but your wonderful example made it look easy. Thank you for making the NaPoWriMo journey this year. You have given me lots of food for thought and inspiration, on top of the great pleasure of reading your poetry.
  13. @AC Benus you’re very kind to comment on those Tanka. I’m still feeling my way through that form again, and these two felt especially right. Thank you for reading this group and for alighting upon these in particular.
  14. Parker Owens

    Chapter 4

    This is a fantastic set. #21 had me grinning from ear to ear, and #23 made a chill run down my spine. #24 made me pause to think about how I perceive color. Taken together, #26 and 27 felt so powerful, I felt swept up in mourning and longing. These are excellent.
  15. You did not misinterpret about the 19th. The 20th referred to another dear friend I have missed. Thank you very much for reading and for your thoughts.
  16. Thank you very much, tim. I felt particularly wordless on the 19th, as sadness washed over me. His Smile made me feel lighter for having written it. I’m glad the wary rabbit made you smile. It’s the time of spring when I see them on my morning walk; they always make me smile too. Thank you for reading these and for your comments.
  17. I’m glad you found this group to be engaging. Thanks very much for taking time with it. @AC Benus wrote a guide to writing a variety of poetry forms (including Tanka), and I credit him with sparking my rebirth in poetry. I’ve included the link… https://gayauthors.org/story/ac-benus/zero-to-hero-a-guide/1
  18. You’re very welcome. Thanks for reading!
  19. 19. Sad News I can’t write today: the colors are much too dark for my word canvas, too heavy for its frail frame and too sad for translation. 20. His Smile When I could bear to think about your smile, it flooded every inch of space, I know, the brilliant morning sunshine to beguile, and even swirling time refused to flow. The stretch of days since last we met has grown, yet I remember every second spent within the c
  20. Thank you for posting this
  21. Parker Owens

    Chapter 1

    I’m very lucky to live in a region where a lot of horticultural research has taken place, yielding a dizzying array of varieties and variants. The offshoots of old Jonathan apples are just one such case. On the other hand, it’s fun to encounter old heirloom varieties at heritage orchards, and to sample apples one has only read about. I’m very glad you liked Apple of My Eye. I dithered over several lines, and hope I got them right. Thank you so much for trying out these apples, and for your generous comments.
  22. Parker Owens

    Chapter 1

    Thank you for your kind and generous comments. I decided to use both metaphorical and actual apples as my subjects; it seemed good to widen my scope. I hope you had an excellent snack.
  23. Parker Owens

    Forty-Four

    Ed and Liam are something beautiful. They care about one another, and appear to be pillars of strength for each other. At the same time, Liam has both Mark and Aiden confirming the truth that Liam has come to know. Growth and insight may follow swiftly.
  24. Parker Owens

    April 14 to 20

    I was taken by the idea of #20; I could feel the fear before I ever read the title at the end. I likewise felt the frustration and uncertainty in #16. I’m not sure I could have dealt with #17 and #19 with anything like your honesty. This was a great third installment.
  25. Parker Owens

    Chapter 1

    Thank you so much for your kind comments and reflections. The old tree made it through the winter again, and is showing signs of new scions here and there. I got one or two golden russets a few years back in a mixed bag at a heritage apple orchard. They were a revelation. The history of apples can be fascinating. Transparent Yellows were spread throughout New England by just one or two enthusiasts. Again, many thanks for your thoughts.
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