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Parker Owens

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Everything posted by Parker Owens

  1. Parker Owens

    Fault

    To feel unable to help, unable to be wise enough, is to feel useless against a malaise that crowds around oneself. It can suffocate, making anything you do so very difficult. You express that vividly here. If a hug would help, you may have one - many - from me.
  2. Zane seriously messed up. You write the buildup of tension and stress so accurately, so persistently, that the blowup seemed inevitable. Clint must be hurting terribly. And now Zane is done, and is he any better for having released his pent up rage? It appears he may have a very long and unhappy time figuring out the answer to that question. Great chapter!
  3. Parker Owens

    Chapter 2

    Oh, you paint the growing affection and love - physical and a emotional - between David and Jae so very well. It is understated in many ways, as a man turned farmer might have it. And that David and Jae have come to love each other is one of the great gifts of both their lives, you show that too. But the foreboding of the coming band of marauders gives me the chills. Nothing good at all can come from that. Looking for chapter 3 next!
  4. Parker Owens

    Suitability

    Or perhaps the perfect clothes for the ones we love...I am glad you liked this. Many thanks!
  5. Parker Owens

    Suitability

    Thanks, Tim. Your words are exactly what I needed.
  6. Parker Owens

    Suitability

    I am so very happy that this poem appealed to you, Emi. The morning sunshine you speak of came to me only later as I was editing the first draft; the first attempt was far clunkier. Many thanks for your thoughts!
  7. Parker Owens

    Suitability

    Thank you so very much for your kind encouragement. The images simply would not let me alone, and I fussed a rather long time until I was moderately satisfied.
  8. Parker Owens

    Suitability

    I am glad you liked this; it is a personal favorite. The last line got under my skin, and would not let me go.
  9. Parker Owens

    Suitability

    As I said in the previous comment, the last two lines inspired the beginning. I am glad you liked the first line, as the Jay's blue was such a vivid and arresting image when it first arrived. The shift in metre was a real change of pace, and it was fun to try. Thank you for your very kind and generous words...
  10. Parker Owens

    Suitability

    Thank you Gary! How odd that the last two lines were the ones that inspired everything else...
  11. Parker Owens

    Love On Hold

    You express such sadness and determination, too. It is a heartbreaking poem. I offer you hugs, such as they are, and hope.
  12. Suitability The proper dress for jays is blue, or so the sages tell; each feather to its bird is true, each flower to its dell; and dappled dawnlight favors you as music suits the bell. The trees that clothe the mountainside were tailored green for June, while rain that swells the ocean tide must answer to its moon; so joy your countenance must guide, as sunshine answers noon. The dance in early morning bright was fashioned for your eyes, and afternoon's embraces tight all heaven may com
  13. Zane in so many ways chooses a real life, real growth, by letting himself trust Clint. It's not just trusting with the choice of restaurant, or with his sanctuary, but also trusting Clint with himself without braces or canes, himself as he is with the albatross of his hurting hateful father and everything else. This is an incredible gift of himself to Clint, and I surely hope Clint can recognize this. He appears to, at least. Many thanks for this really lovely chapter.
  14. Lots of clues and data for figuring out the Reznick advantage. Once Kellar and Tobyn discover it, perhaps they can counteract it without anyone else being in danger or hurt. I so enjoyed seeing Tobyn and Kellar taking care of each other, being real foundations for one another. You are weaving quite a world and a tale, and I cannot wait to see the next chapter.
  15. Parker Owens

    Late July

    Can I tell you how much I liked this chapter in the few minutes I have left to me this morning? I doubt it. But I can tell you that this was a really warming and delightful chapter, from the episode in which Toph tells off his frightful mother, to the wedding scenes, to Clarence's hugs. And morning lovemaking in between...all beautifully understated, yet perfectly clear. You write wonderfully, and give us such good things to replace Toph's initial bitterness.
  16. Parker Owens

    Caged

    You aren't comparing me to Dante, now are you? But you are right - only Ted has a name. As for being a morality play, perhaps it's better thought of as a conundrum. At least so far. Many, many thanks for your perceptive remarks!
  17. Parker Owens

    Caged

    You are not alone in your unease. You hit upon one of the things that occurred to me as I wrote this story: what does comeuppance look like, and can we stand it? Or, as you ask, is revenge justified? Ted and our predator are dislikable people; can one love an antihero? No, not easy reading, but the questions remain important to me. Thanks for looking at them with me through this story.
  18. Parker Owens

    Caged

    You have every reason to feel uneasy about this story. It is unsettling, and it was not easy to write. I appreciate your kindness, no, generosity in calling this story well-written. The essential question is whether a predator can be granted the same humanity to which we all aspire. That is yet to be seen. Thank you for hanging in there and for staying with the story,
  19. Parker Owens

    Caged

    Well, I am glad there was a brief foil to the darkness to follow in this chapter. Perhaps I should have used a different city? Cincinnati? Anyway, you are quite right that Ted is indeed chilling, creepy and quite a predator in his own right. Redhead's part in this is not completely clear, but may become so later...no spoiling, sorry...and no, it isn't stupid to feel a bit sorry for our predator, not at this point. Thanks so much for your response to this chapter.
  20. How hard it must have been to part ways, to accept the sorrow and hurt. I cannot know your choices or your hurt, but I can offer you hugs and the solace that your well crafted words ring out your cries to all who can hear.
  21. How did I miss this one? You write a searing poem on two small words loaded with meaning. It is written so well...well enough that I want to hug you and tell you just to tell me what hurts long before the final lie is told. And yet, we wonder whether everyone else really wants to hear the real answer, the real response, instead of those two little words. And so the small voices in our heads play us for fools. Thank you for sharing this, even though it brought you pain.
  22. Your words cut to the heart of the pain. 'Moving on' sounds easy on the tongue and is a gut wrenching dissonance for the heart. Your words come out of the rain...formed a most powerful image in my mind. And the last two lines simply gave us the final cadence in a minor key. Beautiful, and so very painful. In sorrow that you hurt, in admiration for your skill and courage...Parker
  23. These evocative verses bring dozens of images to mind, one right after the other. They are so very interesting. I liked the first stanza for the relationship of light and time and unknown histories. The second stanza made me want to reflect on theology; but perhaps the lines best act as a foil to the third stanza, while yet elegantly telling us about the observer. Beautifully done.
  24. Thank you so much for taking the time to read A to Z. It is always good to hear from someone who found the joy in it in the end. I am glad it connected with you, and that you found the light that grew steadily throughout the story. Abuse is often at least as much psychological as physical; Andy bears both sorts of scars. I appreciate your kind words, and the time you took to respond to the Andy's tale.
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