Wayne Gray

Thank you so much for the time you spent reading, and for the great comment too. I’m sorry you lost your husband. That’s never something we’re prepared for, no matter what. But you’re here. And just like John, I bet he’d want you to be happy and to take a chance when presented with one. As long as you live, there’s potential for love. And I’m glad this story gave you hope for that.

Funny that you’d ask. 🙂

Thanks for the question, and for the nice comments! 🙂 My favorite character in the series is probably ... well ... Harlan. It's not because he's such a good person, but it's because he's a catalyst. He enters a scene and anything could happen. I love how he grew into far more than he was. I love how challenged he was with certain matters. And I love his cool, detached competence when he needed it. There are many others I love, but Harlan is my favorite - for good or ill. I do think I'll do more installments. I have ideas for both more Tales of the Refuge and for another addition. But time will tell there. Thank you again for the question.

Thanks for the question, kbois. I've met a lot of people over my life - lots of travel early on thanks to the Navy. My characters are largely based on memorable people I've met, but "memorable" to me likely isn't to most. I tend to notice the quiet ones. The ones trying to stay out of the way. But those folks often have the most interesting stories to tell. Some of my characters reflect that. Now ... Mamma G from Broken was another matter entirely. I really don't know where she came from at all, but she was a good time. 🙂

I’m glad it’s worth reading again. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to let me know you liked it enough for the revisit!

Thanks for the nice comments, Joie J. My poems are sometimes serious or dark, then some are silly or upbeat. There are poems about love, weasels, depression, and more. I hope you keep reading and find others that speak to you as well. 🙂

Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment, tigg615. I'm happy the poem makes you think. It's a narrative, and I personally find those more engaging. I'm glad you felt pulled by this one - I certainly felt compelled to produce it. Thanks again.

Thank you, Mike. Your poet said as much too. And it does feel nice on the tongue, even that last stanza. I write best under extremes of emotion. The highs and lows do something, and they punch whatever creative center is in my brain to produce. Sometimes it's not worth posting. But sometimes ... something meaningful to me comes out, and here we are.

Thanks, JACC. I'm lucky that I get to express it. 🙂

Thank you, Parker. Anybody who has felt this ... they know. And it's an undeniable moment.

Thank you, Chris. 🙂

It does say what I want to say. Thanks, Kitt.

I don't think there's any stopping that. Thanks, kbois!

Thank you, tim. It's easy to write when emotion is involved. 🙂 I appreciate you reading and commenting.

A flutter between heartbeats, it's a little strange. Something now hits differently, a small, aching change. "Get here, and we can just be," My words I replay. "I don't want anything else, come, relax, and stay." We finally say goodbye, I frown at my phone. Our plans made to reconnect, he's felt so alone. "Get yourself together man," I try for control. But I know I'm all but lost, a flutter told me so.

WHY can't it be the weekend?!!?

you know, despite the simplicity of the implication buried within the word, there are few paths more varied. Happiness Once you get past the basic needs of shelter, food and water, the thing that comes next on the path to realization of an actualized life looks very different person to person. The greatest sin is assuming someone else is the same as you. That they need the same thing(s) to be happy. So many lives have been wasted, so much pain inflicted in the pursuit of more, because this thing, whatever you've finally found that's supposed to make you happy just isn't working. So you keep pushing. you keep trying. you keep feeling like something is just ... wrong. Because you're not there. you're holding the golden key in your hand and it wont. fit. the. damn. lock. Don't let others, no matter how good intentioned, decide what you need to be happy - or even what happy looks like. Nobody gets to define that. Nobody but you. xo

By the way - our project is hacking apart the dead elliptical machine that has been gathering cat furballs in the corner of the living room with a hacksaw. And destroying the mice who have decided Kevin's greenhouse is a nice buffet. So tomorrow while my husband is at work, I get to hacksaw the joints of the elliptical that won't surrender to the hexwrench (some of them are stripped). That means there's rum tonight. Ahoy, matey.

That was a true groaner. LOL

My husband walked to the door. "I'm going to Ace." (a hardware store) I look over. "Okay. Why?" "You'll see. Oh, I'm gonna need help later too." Door closes. *frowning at the door* "Whatever is happening is going to get in the way of my rum drinking, I'm pretty sure."

There is strength in surrender, when the fight is the foe. There are lessons to be learned, wrapped up in letting go. You are losing no honor, when you allow your soul, To feel the peace hidden deep, in giving up control.

you shared this with me, and when you did my comment was that it was "thoughtful." And I still think that's true. It's neither happy nor sad. It's watchful and external. Nice piece, tim.

I actually live in the WeAreAllASpeckOfDustAndNoneOfUsMatterAtAll Universe. But that's not uplifting to most, for some reason.

Logic has no power here!

Consider this. You're the end product of millions of struggles - ones that began far before you were born. You've survived where most didn't. That means you're uniquely placed to survive what will come next too. It may not always be pretty, and you may not always realize your power but it doesn't really matter. You're alive. Your genetic stock survived extinction events. What chance does some passive-aggressive piece of crap have against you? What chance does a series of bad events that didn't have the sense to take you out have? None. None at all. Own your awesomeness. You're gonna be okay. And the sun will rise.