Parker Owens

So many times this could have slipped into courtroom drama. As it happens, Ms. Chandler's outrageous behavior gets the cold condemnation it deserves. Judge Harrison just began the last chapter on her career, I think. The track tryout was a nice counterpoint to all the lawyering and emotion, though. Many, many thanks for taking the time to review these chapters! It makes me so glad to know you liked them enough to do this!

So glad this one was a favorite. Greg was indeed blind to the consequences and effects of his actions. Sadly, I have met quite a few people who can't see beyond their own points of view or their own self justifications. Greg won't have many friends left in swimming, not for a while, and not in that state...thanks also for the commentary on Andy's questions for Father Brewer. He seems to be trying to piece together a new way of seeing his life, certainly.

You are so very good to leave a review. Thank you! This chapter showed how Andy is becoming more himself, more of a person outside of his relationship to Zander. That he managed to out sprint Kaz a few times was a terrific bonus. I wonder if Andy got choked up later on, too...he hadn't used the m-word himself in a long, long while.

As a child, I mixed up Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky (now I'm just plain mixed up) - but here is a short choral piece I sang in my younger days, which I enjoyed very much, and still do.

I did not mean this as a chilling Halloween tale, but Ted sure seems like a darkly drawn character, doesn't he? Ted's role is hazy, and the predator is rightly skittish about hanging around to demand answers or clarification. You are completely right about what happened to the predator: it is something that might have happened to his own prey, though he gives us no recollection that he ever employed restraints. You're right, too, that the predator escaped with a life unbroken by chemical dependency. That he can feel the beginnings of remorse must be an indication that his soul is not completely desiccated. Thank you for reading this chapter, and I am sorry to have contributed to your queasiness - though this was not as rough as the previous chapter. I am glad you have remained with this tale.

Zac just showed us why he's a great kid; just showed Kenny to be a complete moron; just made my day. Thanks for this terrific chapter.

I get where Owen is coming from. Brett made a good point, but at least they need to be sensitive to Owen's feelings. Hopefully, things will work out. I loved the interplay between the Dads and Cesar's parents; thought you nailed that wonderfully. Hope Owen can stand the change of continents! Great chapter!

I can't like your hurt, but I admire your writing for its honesty, its searing clarity and simplicity. Writing about the pain can make it hurt less, but I grieve for your wounds, my brother. I offer you hugs, and kudos for your powerful writing.

The rush of conscience and the conviction of the soul can be a devastating experience. In our predator's case, it seems to have swept in on him in the squalid aftermath of the party. Yes, he is definitely scared of Ted, and with good reason. Hard to face both Ted and his newly active conscience. Many thanks for your perceptive comments and thoughts.

Yes, there is someone actually worse than our predator; a bigger fish, a larger carnivore. But now that our particular predator is out of his cage, he is faced with the awful familiarity of his existence, and the terrifying thought of facing Ted. No wonder he flees. Thank you so much for your wonderful support and for reading this tale.

No, not that metaphor. Thanks for continuing to read this tale!

Thank you for making your way through what is clearly a difficult story. The aftermath was especially squalid. The predator might have faced the cleanup if that was all there was to it, but no way could he face Ted, his missing money and lockbox, and his newly awakened conscience, too.

It's not easy to crack a heart of stone. Perhaps his cracked, perhaps not. But surely, our predator has had a particularly searing experience and a horrific vision. That he could not face Ted and his roommate is telling. Thank you for reading this chapter, and for your support.

Loved this description of Pierre and David's life. Noise cancelling headphones! But like other reviewers, I am scared to death of what Corey will find when he gets to Toronto. Why do I get a very, very, bad feeling about this?

The predator certainly had what can only be described as a horrific vision. But you are right to wonder if it was at all cathartic. Sorry about the squalor, but post-party mess is rarely pretty. Thanks so much for your remarks and for reading this chapter!

You're right - and not just a serious mess of a suite, but our predator is a physical, emotional, personal and psychological mess, too. For now, all he can do is flee - that seems to be all he can manage. Thanks for reading and and for your comments!

Silence. He snapped to awareness in deep silence. No party. No noise of any kind. Sunday. Of course. Sunday was always the quietest morning of the entire week in the residence. The only remaining evidence of the previous night's debauchery from his place on the bed was the stench of beer, smoke, sex and vomit. Someone had lost it somewhere in the apartment. Maybe several someones. More than once. He stifled a groan as he managed to move protesting muscles into a sitting position on the bed. H

I am gladdened that you felt moved by these. They helped me find some closure and reflection. Many thanks.

Number three is also the one that spoke most clearly to me. It flowed from brain to paper almost of its own volition; number one took many more versions and scratch outs to come to a conclusion I liked. Perhaps that explains the simplicity you noticed. That poem is also my favorite of the set. Many thanks for reading these, Tim, and for your kind support.

Thank you, Val, for your support, kindness, and hugs. The last was the most recently written, done after a memorial quite recently. So many memories wrapped up in such events, and the melancholy sweeps in like a snow squall. But poetry and community help so much.

Thank you for your hugs, for your support and for taking time to read these through. These are good to write, and I hope they are worth the read, too, despite their melancholy.

Yes, you're right, Gary, there is grief rather than logic there. After all these years, I still miss my dad, though, and my friend is now gone, too. These three sorrows have accumulated this summer and fall. And poetry surely helps ease the hurt.

Thank you, AC, for Your kind comments. Three memorials, three lives gone, three melancholy Cinquains. It's good to write it out to the world, perhaps.

Sorrows I. The house was painted the deep, rich, color of death; melancholy and sorrow mixed with blue; the still air in every room hung heavy with the scent of fresh hurt, lingering through autumn. II. I bought new envelopes, and sheets of postage stamps to acknowledge sympathy cards last week; I have everything I need for this task, but cannot seem to find the strength of mind to start. III. I stood in the cold rain at my friend's funeral, wearing my father's sturdy old rainco

Great chapter! Kenny appears to have his head planted firmly in his anatomy so far, it will never come out. Now Billy gets another firing squad in the morning, but at least his parents will be with him.