Parker Owens

I wondered if I was getting ready for a new thing. It will be worth checking out Ballade. And I am glad you liked these; your inspiration made it so very easy!

Me, too. And I have looked out over fields like that, counting Killdeer, only to have them turned into parking lots...you are so kind to read and react to these. Thanks a million.

There is a spot nor far from where I live that used to be a wide, green field. Last week, the earth movers arrived; it is to become a storage parking lot for a car dealer. A travesty, if ever there was. That must have run in my subconscious as I wrote New Developments. Don't I wish I could entertain like that in my dreams, though. Many thanks to for comments and reaction.

Your recent 'Reflections' piece hooked me, and the urge to be witty in verse took hold. Glad you liked the guest list, as it could have gone on and on...for some reason I woke up with the word Xanadu running in my head, and the early morning hours were spent wrestling with possibilities. But it is kind of sobering, as you say. Many thanks for your inspiration and kind remarks.

Invited Guests If in my dreams I could receive some visitors of wider scope, perhaps I'd choose to spend an eve with Dante or a Borgia pope, or dine with wise daVinci, though I'd rather Michaelangelo. In Morpheus' salon I'd choose a guest list of the rarest sort; try chatting with Lautrec, Toulouse (I never guessed he was that short), and laugh aloud at wit Francaise, or argue music with Varese. My slumbered houseguests overflow, spill out into the lawn to play; see Dali dally with Van Gog

Gotta feel for Billy. But how has that ball team stayed together at all? Hope his anger with Brett doesn't ruin their friendship...

Nice to see David and Twoey spending time alone together, even if it's hard for them. David doesn't appear to be able to be what either Twoey or Donny need right now. He himself is the one who is most needy. Adults disappearing? Note to David's Dad...no! You have an emotionally fragile son processing painful and serious issues. You have to be present to him. Period. That David's fault lines should be showing now is understandable. Crack and fractures in his mind appear everywhere, as the seismic stress on his psyche must be tremendous...Donny, Twoey, Burch, church, Danny, parental loss, self revelations...if David holds it together, it would be a miracle. And Dad wants to leave David in charge of Tommy? Criminal. And so I wonder if David's father isn't merely clueless....sorry. I promised to stop speculating. I swear.

Oh, wow, how I like this unadulterated silly poem! Your fishing metaphor is apt and perfectly employed. Loved the idea of catching and matching vowels, deciding whether or not to throw words and phrases back or keep them...brilliant! And the end bit about freeing Willy....at my age, I rarely roll on the floor laughing, but in your case, I made an exception. Thank you for this lovely diversion...

Happy Birthday, Rambling Mann, Of your stories, I'm a fan! Hope your day is full of cheer, May you write another year! Happy Birthday!

A very interesting and compelling medium in which to discuss vital issues. Who says fiction doesn't speak truth?

What I find so compelling about this chapter is its true description of the easy familiarity between a wide group of friends. But how closed, how very tribal, that group turns out to be. The 'church' kids are definitely not part of the the tribe. Is it fear or something else that feeds their antipathy? How will Luke and Jackson manage to interact in any normal way ink the face of that hostility? And what will happen to the both of them...what tribe will take them in...when the inevitable happens?

How many disasters is this for Clint? Three? Four? Donny was a great guy, until he heard the word 'no.' Clint might have thought more clearly about what he was expecting, but hell, it was supposed to be a date. 'No' really did mean exactly that. A kiss might have been more appropriate on Donny's part, but perhaps he was too desperate to think um, straight. So is this Clint's big coming out opportunity? Probably not what he would have chosen. But he seemed fearless once, so maybe he will again. And Donny will have to figure himself out, too. Fast. Great chapter, Cynus. Of course, I want more right away!

Corey has been through an emotional wringer, but how could he not be rational enough to avoid the connection between the hurt his father caused and Jason? Jason has every right to be hurt; every right to feel heartbreak. But as a lawyer, Jason must know it's not always all about rights. The real hurt in his heart must be the ache that goes with feeling he's truly unforgivable. So now you leave us hanging? Ugh. Is it Corey at the door? Family that could act as go-between to knock some sense in Corey's brain? Someone else? Double ugh.

Oh, I am so very happy you enjoyed them. We swelter everywhere these days, even in the cool north country. Even the Adirondacks are getting warmer! Now you ask important logical questions that can only be replied to in verse...which I will take up later. In any case, thank you for reading and reflecting on these two poems. I truly appreciate your feedback.

Thank you, Gary. This rhyme is so natural, it flowed easily. Somme things seem harder in them heat, until they turn out to be easy...kind of like the cold, that way, eh? A simple man is someone to celebrate and befriend. And I will surely raise a glass to you tonight....cheers, indeed.

I am glad that you can sense me in these poems, Emi. And I am even more pleased that you are singing them...you have no idea how wonderful that feels. Oh, and what a lovely idea of a heat wave...a 'hottie day,' indeed.

The heat is not kind to muses. They go quiet while we pant like dogs in the sun. But I am happy that you enjoyed these, and the play on the heat we have had to endure. Some things are still fun despite the heat . A simple man, a good friend, a person with a smile and interest, this is a person to be celebrated. Thank you for your lovely comments, as they have brightened my day.

Oh, I am glad you enjoyed them! Perhaps you can think of them as a light sparkling aperitif or a nightcap. I will take the request for snow and cold under advisement. Thanks for your kind remarks.

Heat Wave It's far too hot to hug, but we might kiss if only we could range ourselves like this, or maybe if we shift around like that, our lips could touch, and wouldn't that be bliss? This record heat knocked everybody flat, the temperature the topic of all chat, we wonder that for days like this we pray in winter's harsh and frigid habitat. But Helios will focus every ray to dissipate the fog and dewy grey, and beat upon the earth with all his might, lest any man go coolly on his way.

All this sulking and scowling and huffing and silence. What does it actually benefit Diarmad? He must know he is hurting Noel terribly. Noel will soon draw conclusions of his own which may be most painful for both of them.

Finally, a whole chapter from Twoey. No, we probably do not what to know what Gary may have arranged to take care of Erik. But is it the end of his involvement? And while Twoey has learned a lot about what has happened since he went off to Erik-land, he really needs to spend much more time with David. The break with Erik is unquestionably definitive. How could that idiot shove Ginny and not realize it would cause an irreparable breach? But that makes him an idiot, and why didn't Twoey see that before, either? Ahh, well, the scales have fallen from his eyes, at least. Many thanks for #112. Now #113 should post soon, yes? Very soon? And be extra long? Right?

Perhaps we can split the difference and settle on a Cow Parsnip. Darkness was meant to be creepy, as I was thinking especially about the sensation of living with the knowledge that an alien is living inside of you, as in the movie. As for Hogweed, I spotted several nearby, and did my bit by notifying the proper authorities and keeping well away. But again, what would it feel like to be the personification of this much-feared invasive plant? Thank you for reading these with your generosity of spirit and kindness.

Your chapter radiates a peace and sense of confident self in Toph's narrative in nearly paragraph. Not merely quietly reflective, it's a luminous statement of Toph's own transformation. As he himself tells us, he has matured enough and grown enough to become beloved. He and Gary together make me so very happy, too. You have done marvelous work in this tale.

Oh, man, so, so, so creepy. You expect me to sleep tonight after that? Gotta go wash my hands....

Happy Birthday, Nice and Legal, To Our Favorite Writer Beagle! We are shamed we missed this first, So we send our best to versed. Happy Birthday.