BendtedWreath

Jace never thought he'd see Louis again, especially not at a wedding packed with old faces and even older drama. One encounter is all it takes for old feelings to come flooding back, making it impossible to pretend the past never happened. As the reception unfolds, Jace is forced to face just how much he's still carrying and, maybe, what he still wants.

A Second Dance By Cassie and Ben *** I recognized my former friend the second he walked into the ballroom. Louis looked older, like the rest of us, but still had those piercing grey eyes that perfectly matched the suit he wore. He wore his blond hair differently than when we were teenagers, cut shorter and more professional, but the ready smile was the same. I wasn't sure what kind of path he had taken, straight to work as I did, or the college route, but he looked cool an

There wasn't a single poem that didn't land. Thanks for everyone's contributions.

Don't let the title and warnings scare you. This one's a banger.

I wrote this song lyric many, many years ago. The "homosexual panic defense" -- the idea that if a straight man thinks that a gay man is coming on to him sexually, then he might panic and then, understandably and justifiably, might murder said gay man - was in the news. - (Uh-oh. I have a bad feeling about this.) Who now can know what wandering of soul it did require To turn a burning envy into bodily desire? - (Oof. That line.) As Abel had no children, we're most likely sons of Cain. They branded Cain an outcast; the brand on some remains. - Now I want to hear this as a song.

Don't be fooled. This is no small offering. There is nothing small in the manner in which it provokes thought.

as if its preference might matter to a tired, thirsty world where it falls? - (On that note, I pity the clouds that get swept up into hurricanes.) This one was profound.

Oh, man. Don't read that last one on an empty stomach. I've never craved homemade spaghetti so much in my life.

In the end, we are not judged by the dramatic, but by the simple, by the day-to-day and the doors we do not open. - (Oh! That hit me hard.) You hesitate longest over the sentences you thought saved you. They aren’t wrong. They just don’t belong. - (I'm suddenly glad I'm not half as tortured when editing.) Add garlic next, one or two Who on earth uses so few? - (That's what I'm saying.) My inner voice says you must add six Mince it fine and then mix, mix, mix - (I feel hungry now.) “I have a meeting early, so, please. Let’s aim for breath that won’t fell trees.” I pause. I weigh. I try to be fair. Garlic or love? Choose with care. Without it, dinner feels polite, A little bland, and not right. - 🤣 So cook with joy, ignore the doubt. The only mistake, is leaving it out. -

Don't ask me the difference between types of poems, because I've long forgotten the details. What I do know is that these poems are grounded by senses in a way that took me by surprise. (Edit: Alternate review- How Aditus almost compelled me to buy a cat... again.)

This one had warnings, and I knew exactly what I was getting into when I started reading. But, goddamn it, I was once again compelled to write a review. I could only aspire to create something so raw and real.

I used the “dark” tag, but that may not be strong enough. This is definitely laced with mental anguish. Therefore, this may be very disturbing, so be forewarned, and only read if you feel you can handle themes of suicide. - (Oh, hell. I'm going to get wrecked again, aren't I? Well, no time like the present. Time to rip it off like a band-aid by just diving in.) Is that even our choice either? There’s only one way to be sure. - (My sap of a heart is aching.) I want to have a legacy, other than my kids. But since almost no-one knows who I really am. What is here doesn’t qualify. - (I greatly disagree. Your stories have left a mark on me and any who read it. They will also remain long after you're gone and will continue to make others think.)

Never would have thought I'd ever be compelled to write a review on a poem, but here we are. Do NOT take this entry lightly or you'll be thrown through the ringer like I was. I'm still reeling.

I don't know much about poetry, but I do know that every stanza drew a different raw emotion out of me, and it felt like I was reading something so private it was like being caught red-handed being engrossed in someone else's journal entries. If that isn't skill or at least a certain degree of mastery with words, I don't know what is.

When you sink your claws tenderly into my belly, and your infectious purr vibrates throughout the entire room, it easily expels hopelessness and gloom - (I sadly cannot go to the nearest shelter to adopt a cat after work today, as I don't have a stable home for one. But you damn near compelled me. ) He's a sculptor and a modern jester, with a keen eye for pests that fester, he mocks the elite never polite, like an unashamed bullshit tester. - (Nice!)

Malik had no idea what he had done wrong, but was so embarrassed by their reactions, that he refused to talk for most of the evening. It wasn’t until much later that he learned the greeting he had given them was a romantic one, not a friendly greeting for the end of the day, as he assumed. - Very relatable to anyone learning a different language. If you're well-liked, the locals love to mess around and have you say things you normally wouldn't without knowing what the words mean until later. Either way, Malik seems to be developing a bond with the family.

“Four.”/“Try four hundred,” Ashley informed him loudly./“Is that good?” Brandon asked indifferently as he shoved a piece of pork in his mouth./“For a gay boy in Glacier Bay? You’re practically a celebrity,” She replied excitedly. - HA! Once they were out of earshot, Tyler asked, “So Owen, huh? Doesn’t seem like your type.”/Brandon rolled his eyes and declared loudly, “We all do stupid things in our youth.” - Ha ha! Engaging in those activities was the reason he felt that pain, and he came to understand that he deserved it. - Wild. In his fantasy, Tyler would sneak into his room one night, and they’d make passionate love, and they would live happily ever after./Then Tyler ruined that when he admitted he was the bottom. - Then you clearly don't like him as much as you think you do if you can't accept the real him as he is. Alright, so while Ryan wasn't the cause of Dylan's prior injuries, he's still eager to use him. I do still have these shovels in hand.

“B for Brandon,” a high pitched voice called out from behind them./Brandon winced. “It’s too early for her.” - Ha! Even without the hangover, I doubt he'd have had the energy. She then hit play. It was a ten second video that began with Brandon saying you can’t have Tyler and ending with your head with someone else’s dick. - Oh no! “You better stay away from my little cousin,” Ryan spat as he pulled Billy by the arm. “He doesn’t need to be seen with a queer like you and that Dylan kid.” - Oh, hell. Ryan did that to Dylan didn't he? Where are those shovels I just had?

He made a face as the strong smell of alcohol and vomit assaulted his nostrils. - Where did he get the liquor from? “How much did you drink?”/“Not enough apparently,” Dylan slurred as he stretched out on the floor. “I still hate myself.” - I sympathize. Dylan wiped at the tears that slipped down his cheek and whispered, “No.”/“Are you sure?” Devin asked as he finally got the boy’s pants off. “Because if someone hurt you, I need to know.” - Well done, Devin. Affirm, affirm. “Usually guys want to get me out of my boxers before they put me in bed,” Dylan slurred as he tried to focus on Devin’s face but the effort caused him to suddenly feel the need to throw up again. - Oof. I don't like the sound of that. He pulled the boy roughly to his feet and shoved him on the bed. He grabbed the boxers and quickly pulled them up the boy’s legs. He didn’t even care that they were crooked. - Yeah, that's not important right now. ‘when I put him to bed he said something that bothered me’/‘Who do we have to kill?’ - I'll bring the shovels. His father shook his head and gestured at the pint./Tyler grinned. “What do you offer in return?”/His father eyes the ice cream for a moment and then said, “Another year living rent free in my house.” - Ha ha! Brilliant. “You know how things come up in conversation when parents get together,” His father explained. “Are we going to say you’re gay, figuring things out? Would you prefer it if we didn’t say anything?” - I wish I had a father like this growing up. “And this comes from your mother,” His father said as he paused on the second floor before Tyler headed up to the third. “We’d like to have Brandon and his parents over for dinner one night in the near future.” - Uh-oh. Their compromising was going just swell up until Brandon's parents were brought up. Unless you knew what it was, you’d never guess it was Brandon’s dick. Tyler made it his wallpaper and then rolled over and went to sleep. - I still pity anyone else who peeks at his phone's wallpaper. The conversation between Tyler and his dad was nothing short of compelling. The consideration, care, and candidness were clear to see (and I did not mean to aliterate there, I swear sometimes it's my default corny setting).

And he knew better than most the things a boy says after they came was rarely what actually happened. - Hear me out… did any of them send you a rainbow selfie while watering plants? He had turned left at the corner and was only two blocks from his destination when he heard tires screeching. He turned and saw Ryan Star coming down the road with a few of his teammates from the football team. - Oh, I don't like the sound of that one bit. What he couldn’t jump over, he slid under. What he could slide under he ran right through. - Go go go! He hadn’t told Matt yet, but he planned to open an online store to capture internet sales as well as listing high dollar value items on sites like Ebay. - Nice! The facetiming scene suited them. I dislike Ryan's presence looming in the background, and am more concerned about him than of Brandon's “university window.”

We didn't start the fire. It was always burning since the world's been turning.

He had no idea what her given name was, everyone just called her Nana. - You don’t question these things. Nana is Nana. Nana had outlived two husbands and served as a nurse in World War II. - Nana has contributed more to society than many, then. “I vape now,” Dylan said as he opened his eyes. “She can’t smell that on me.” - Keep telling yourself that. “The best part about vaping, you can do it inside and no one knows,” - Maybe it’s just me. I have a keener nose for these things. I can tell from a couple of yards away. “I just don’t like him,” Dylan repeated as he looked away from his brother’s intent gaze. “How can you like someone like that? He’s a whore, everyone knows it. You deserve someone better, someone who’ll appreciate you and won’t go around sucking every dick he sees.” - Green-eyed with envy, are we? The look of horror that crossed Dylan’s face confused Tyler but he said, “Hey, what makes you think I’d want to go to bed with you anyway?”/Devin looked at Tyler and then pointed to his dick and said, “Come on, I mean, you saw it.” - Ha ha! I must say, I enjoy seeing how unshaken Devin is by these things. “Look Dylan, I know this might be shocking but this is something that kind of happened recently and instead of running away, I am seeing where it leads,” Tyler said carefully. How could he explain it to Dylan when he didn’t fully understand it himself. - No, bud, that was solidly stated right there. It takes guts to keep moving forward, especially when you know you don’t know enough about where you’re heading. The few times they tried to engage Dylan in the conversation they were met with complete silence. So by the time they arrived at Nana’s house, they had given up trying. As Devin said, this was something Dylan would have to work out on his own. - I felt they handled it as well as anyone could have. “You stink,” Nana admonished him as she squeezed him tightly. “Why is someone as bright as you dumb enough to smoke?”/“Oh, Nana,” Tyler said as he moved out of the way so Dylan could get his turn. “Smoking isn’t that bad.”/“Two,” Nana said as she held up two bony fingers, “of my husbands died of lung cancer.” - Ha ha ha! Tell them, Nana. Tyler said flatly as he crossed his arms, “Sounds like you’re mad that your friend is getting sucked off by someone else. Are you sure there isn’t something else bothering you? Are you mad that you can’t suck him off?” - Oh boy. “Because I am gay, Nana,” Tyler said softly as he straightened up to his full height. “Maybe.”/Nana put both her hands on her cane and glared at Dylan as she said, “Then what he said was even more horrible.” - I didn’t expect to have to suffer eye allergens today. Where is that tissue box? I hope this whole situation gets cleared up, or at least they figure out a way to move past it.

Brandon rolled his eyes as Tyler continued, “Seriously, he doesn’t think you’re a freak. He’s just uncomfortable because he saw us in bed.”/“What?” Brandon exclaimed loudly. “When?” - I was wondering when this would come to light for Brandon. I was not disappointed. “Yes, because I’ve always been private and would like to keep us a secret because I think it’s special. But no, because I don’t care what anyone thinks.”/But the way Tyler had mentioned it was special made him feel all bubbly inside. And though they rarely saw one another during the day, it would be amazing not to pretend when they did. - Glad they sorted at least this much out. So, now we understand a little more about the rift between Brandon and his parents. A twelve year old trying to reach out to his parents only for them to ultimately send him away... actually, I'm not sure what hurt him most, the fact that they physically sent him away or that they downplayed his feelings by claiming it was a rebellion against their religion. As for the rest of the chapter, it's a miracle that glacier remains unmelted with the amount of heat those two generate.

He turned to get a look from every angle as he tugged at the crotch of his pants. They were a few years old and he could barely button them. - Oh, I feel that and I’m not even in a pair of tight pants. Not since my emo era- none of you read that. Forget you even saw it. And he wanted to make a good second first impression. - Nice detail! He had removed his black nail polish and his messy blue hair was slicked back with more product than he had ever used on any of his numerous hair styles over the years. He hadn’t even put on any eye makeup. - I admit that’s going a bit too far. Dressing for the occasion is one thing, but going out of your way to present a different image of you is just not worth it. “It would never be a bother,” Tyler said softly as he looked up and down. “You look…different.”/ Brandon looked down at his outfit and asked, “Bad different?”/“You look amazing,” Tyler said quickly. “But then I always think you look amazing.” - Well, well said, Tyler. I’m so proud. Brandon entered the warmth of the theater and explained, “He’s never been mean or anything. But lately, he’s been giving me dirty looks everytime he sees me in the hall.” - Hahaha! “Because,” Dylan said as he looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to what he was about to say. “He’s gay.”/“And?”/“What if people start saying you’re gay?” Dylan asked with a disgusted look on his face. - Oh. Looks like Dylan needs a private conversation. Brandon thought he saw Dylan and another boy he couldn’t really see slip around the corner. But there were so many people standing up he couldn’t be sure. But he found it weird that the boy would talk trash about the movie and then watch it anyway. - Young love/lust? “For how long the both of you could kiss without taking a breath,” Tyler explained cheekily. “It was really rather impressive.”/“Not as impressive as how long you could get a handjob without blowing your load,” Devin countered back with a twinkle in his eye. “Now that was impressive.” - The start of a friendship. Mindy still looked clueless so Devin offered gently, “It’s the movie where Brad Pitt played Achilles and Orlando Bloom played someone brooding.”/Mindy’s face lit up as she exclaimed, “I remember that movie. Brad Pitt is hot.” - Ha ha! Clever reference. “Speaking of that,” Mindy said as she wrapped her fingers around Devin’s hand. “Tyler, when did you suddenly turn gay?” - Ah, Mindy. Asking questions you don’t want to know the answer to. Tyler squirmed in his seat and silently pleaded that Brandon would keep his mouth shut for once. Brandon grinned at him and said, “Devin helped Tyler embrace his desire for me through encouragement and understanding. You should be proud of him, he’s a really good friend.” - Nice save!

Matt noticed Brandon and called out with a smile, “Hiya, shithead.”/“Nice to see you treat everyone the same,” Brandon said dryly as he pulled his hood down. - Ha ha. The man held out the bills again and Matt slapped his hand, “Keep your fucking money. I didn’t do anything but pop the hood. Why don’t you save it for your plastic surgery fund?”/The man laughed and returned the bills to his wallet. He looked at Brandon and said, “Don’t let him scare you. He’s really a teddy bear deep inside.” - Oh, wow. I had an uncle who behaved similarly to this, may he rest in peace. A gruff shit-talker, but dependable once given the chance. I still miss that uncle. I interrupted his very busy day of drinking beer and watching TV in his underwear. - That sounds as good a day as any. “Why would I give two shits whether or not other people understand it?” Matt asked hotly as he lit a cigarette./“Maybe because your best friend is telling you and that should be good enough,” Jesse said flatly as he opened the car door. He looked over at Brandon and said, “It was nice meeting you Brandon. Don’t let him get away with not paying you fairly.” - Another true friendship. Matt caught him staring at the disappearing car and said, “He’s hot, huh?”/ Brandon nodded and pulled his hood over his head as he said, “I wouldn’t kick him out of bed.”/“I reckon you just might.” - Ha ha! Matt looked at him with a sad expression and answered softly, “Never said he was wrong, just not gotten over it.”/“Like Jesse has?”/“Jesse understands me, maybe the only person that ever has. When he arrived at Glacier Bay High in his senior year, he could’ve been the most popular boy in school but for some weird reason, he threw that all away to be friends with me.” - I find it amusing that Brandon considers the town so boring and bland while the older generations recall lively or tumultuous times. “God damnit,” Matt said loudly as he turned into Glacier Bay Estates. “It’s yes or no. Frankly I don’t give a good two shits if you do or not.”/“Really?”/“Yes fucking really.”/“Then I will.” - Whether he knows it or not, Matt has a way with adolescents. If you ignore them like cats, they’ll want in. If you pester them too much, they scat. You can’t tell me you don’t miss my cock in your mouth.”/“Apparently a lot less than you do,” Brandon said as he pulled his hand free from Ryan’s grip. - Well said, Brandon. “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll keep your fucking mouth shut.”/“Keeping my mouth shut is the whole reason you pushed me,” Brandon called out as he watched Ryan sprint down the aisle in the opposite direction. - Yes, ironically enough. After about twenty names, Brandon blurted out, “I’m not going to tell you.”/“We definitely know it’s not Ryan,” Ashley said as she thought about who it might be. - And thank god for that. “Tyler Scott?” Ashley exclaimed as she jerked the wheel so hard she almost went off the road./“Pay attention,” Brandon screamed as he braced for impact. “Yes, Tyler Scott.”/“He’s like the hottest guy in school,” - Ha ha, score! There was a lot to both love and to be concerned about in this chapter. Ryan sounds like the type that doesn't take rejection well (even what he'd consider "playing around"), and it's great to see that Brandon has a close friend in Ashley and someone he can safely talk to regarding Tyler. I was really engrossed in this one from start to finish.