Rigby Taylor

Mmmm... A shadowy figure in the nave, odd sounds, and a certain Nathaniel Corner from 1795 with is name entwined with the Vicar's son, wouldn't happen to be a misspelling of Cornish, would it? Lot of fun.

Many delightful lines... "one of those poignant moments that graveyard trawling tends to produce in the sensitive," Naked around the house and nude dreams... I can relate to that. Then..."He pulled [his fingers] out and sniffed them. He had not washed inside there and the stench was a bit strong….. took the edge off his arousal, and he sank exhausted back on to the sofa." Ha ha...this is seriously funny stuff! And then a nice swipe at religion's role in discrimination. Stylistically you have a lightness of touch that makes me jealous.

What a wonderful first chapter! I identify completely with poor Henry. From the naked gamboling through the woods to the pathetic performance at cricket, I never learned to throw, and the hardness of a cricket ball seems designed to fracture fingers. I loved the descriptions of field and school, the bus... Great stuff.. now on with chapter 2.

Thanks Mikiesboy. You have made my day with such fulsome praise. I'm almost blushing. You are correct in stating that men are not the evil wannabe rapists so many media declare. We are different from women, but that doesn't make us bad. This is a sub theme in many of my novels. My sister had MS and had to be confined to a nursing home for the last ten years of her life. I spent a lot of time with her and other clients, some of whom had been dumped there by unfeeling children who wanted the house to themselves. It was there I met the originals of this story. In Australia we are in the throes of a Royal commission into Aged Care, and the stories of cruelty and neglect in these institutions are horrifying. No one I know will willingly enter one of those places, but options can run out over the age of 80, and suddenly its goodbye freedom. Unfortunately, other more rational options have been made illegal; a problem I address in "Mortaumal". Thanks again, R.

Relationships can be life enhancing, or the opposite. Most people desire to share their lives in loving harmony with one special other, but how? What are the priorities? In this well crafted tale that I heartily recommend to all lovers past and future, we learn of the shattering consequences of one partner failing to observe the most basic requirement of a relationship.

Good freeform poetry is seldom instantly accessible, requiring a day or so after the first reading to allow it to ‘stew’ in one’s head before reading again; preferably aloud to appreciate the rhyme and metre. This holds true for this fine collection of new and retold myths that bring smiles of recognition, soft laughs and a reminder that Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Thanks Defiance, for your very kind words. In real life it's probably best to do as you would have -- let your face give the message and only dream about acting like that. I'd be the same, because I worry that if I antagonise people, unpleasantness will possibly follow. And as I prefer to have a quiet life, I've tried not to be a 'person of interest' to neighbours by acting too differently from them. I hope you also enjoy my novels sometime.

This is a very good story, well paced, well written and about some of the most important aspects of a relationship -- how to end an argument, the importance of actually listening to the other, admitting fault, and apologising [sometimes even if the other was equally to blame.] Living together is not a competition to see who’s the most perfect. The arguments, and reactions are completely true and believable, as is the rest of the story. I do think Elliot made a grave error in not telling Jim where Sarah was. He could then have phoned her to prepare. Of course with hindsight we all have 20/20 vision. I liked all four characters and couldn't stop reading from start to finish. Thanks for a great read that made me think.

"That creates an exciting sensation Of joy and sizzling playfulness" Oooh... sizzling playfulness -- yes, that describes it perfectly. Thanks for these thought and emotion provoking poems.

Peripatetic scarcely describes you two.I don't use google, but 'Duck duck go' could only find... 'Boosey is a small Victorian Rural Location with a population of 105 residents' - not warm. Such egregious praise results in the premature closure of my "splendid mind" from fear of disappointing. [When I was seven I was taught that disappointing has one ess and two pees by having to write it out 200 times . She was the headmaster's wife, a venomous redhead. Funny the things one remembers.] lovely to hear from you again. XXXR

Dear Gary. You must be a very pleasant, intelligent, handsome, delightful, empathetic man to have written such erudite compliments -- and a wonderful review as well!! My sincere gratitude knows no bounds. [Neither does my ego after reading it.] I think you are right about gays having the gift of the gab; I read in New Scientist [I think] a few years ago, that gay men have a mental advantage over het men when it comes to language facility - especially when it comes to subtle, and not so subtle repartee. [The same article declared that gay men make the best parents]. Apparently, at some stage while we nestled in the womb our mothers forgot to inject the conformist hormone into our embryonic genes... or something like that... And oh yes.... it really is difficult to not appear a sociopath at times. I still haven't learned to button my lips. Whatever, I now love you dearly.

Gosh! What can I say, Mikiesboy? Thanks so much for your generous praise, and kind and thoughtful words. You are 100% correct, "uninteresting sludge" correctly describes slavish adherence to PC, And thank you also for your glowing review.

Thanks, Carlos. I guess there's a snarky side in all of us somewhere.

Love the rhymes, Love retold myths, they always add something to surprise. Having just read "Voli me Tangere" this is a brilliant addition to the theme. Thanks.

"The ebony cloth, pierced by ancient light Enfolds us to become our sheltered place," This is beautiful. Such yearning for loving companionship when it may not be achieved, is also immensely sad.

An enjoyable and intriguing take on the battle of the sexes. Can men and women ever learn to cohabit peacefully? It is tempting to speculate that the semi bondage of females in past ages and in some present day societies, is the result of behaviour similar to that which caused the rift in this strange land. And that raises the possibility that current moves to treat both genders as equals might fall foul of the natural animosity between males and females and result in disaster for one group. Inevitably, it was Hilda, a disobedient woman who butted in and ensured the tragic result of Oak and Cay being separated forever. Very sad. Why must women interfere?

Thanks, Puppilill. He wasn't really going to stab... I think. Dunno though. Sorely tempted... no, the resulting hassle wouldn't be worth it. 😎

Thank you AC Benus! I'm always delighted when readers realise my stories are about more than the shadows on the back of Plato's Cave. And I'm thrilled you approve of my prose. In writing, my real pleasure comes after the plot is settled, then I can fiddle for ages with words, their order and so on. I usually write novels; there never seems to be sufficient words in short stories to set a scene, create characters, and a plot with an interesting denouement. You are correct. Heterophobia is the great unacknowledged 'sin' of most gays who've encountered antagonism. It's born of fear and, while rational, takes the gloss off life for far too many. As you suggest, I include it to acknowledge it and the reasons, and to encourage afflicted gays to 'get it out of their system' with a good rant to one of the perceived oppressors [if only vicariously as in this case]. Being a bit of a polemicist, I always try to encourage readers to think about how and why they live the way they do. And thank you so much for the review! Very appreciated. 😀

Dear Daddy, Thanks for enjoying it, but surely, one drama queen [with a dour, grounded boyfriend] doesn't confirm a stereotype? [Drags back of hand across brow and sinks onto the divan, prostate in despair].

Disgusting? Mmmm... I didn't use that word. However, I can see that a sensitive person might be upset by some of the descriptors, I will take more care in future to be less dismissive of different body types. Although he was very greedy, so had himself to blame for his shape.

I'm please you found it amusing, Thorn. I had not intended to make a 'fat' joke, and don't consider that I have made one. It was an accurate description of someone who used to visit me several years ago, who did look and behave like the guest. The rest of the tale is fiction though.

And thank you, aditus, for your thoughtful comment. Yes, the past arrives to haunt us at unexpected times. I hope you also like some of my other stories.

A very welcome ego boost, thanks Okie. Glad you liked it. I hope summer is well on the way to your place and your flowers are blooming. XXR.

Thank you Parker, for your kind words. Oh yes, I'm sure he'll have gone back to share the juicy fact that I've several screws loose and am possibly dangerous.

What a lovely compliment, Canuk, although in all modesty I can't claim superiority over you... other mortals perhaps, I'll have to think about that. I hope the snow and ice have finally thawed so you can frolic in nature once more.