You've planted a grand stick here. I can hardly wait to see the wonderful flowers which bloom from it! And breathe their sweet fragrance!

         Like many worthwhile endeavours, it needs a "leap of of faith." Sometimes, you can't learn to fly on the trapeze without falling to the net once or twice!

         This seems to be a worthwhile endeavour. When you climb to the perch and fly for the first time, please write again and tell us of your success!

         There is a simplicity to this story that makes it easy to read. Woven around that is a complexity that makes it interesting to read.

         The theme is an unfortunately universal one, fortunately. It's a rare person, especially in America, who has not experienced infidelity and/or the dissolution of a relatiinship either firsthand or in the life of a relative, friend, or co-worker. Hopefully, most people have experienced forgiveness, either as forgiver or forgiven or as both. It all comes together in this story in a simple blend of complexity. It's as simple as "I was hurt, so I ran" and "I was hurt, but I forgive." Yet, it's as complex as a tangled rosebush.

         This is a great story by an author whose work I've greatly admired for some time. It's longer than some of her stories, but it's full of mystery, human frailties, human strength, emotions, and surprises that make reading such stories a pleasure.

         I've always loved this kind of writing that's a bit like a story and the shadow of a story. The moment when the author pulls away the shadow to reveal the full story is a rewarding moment of enlightenment!

         Nicely conceived and well-written, this tale gave me only one brief second of puzzlement in the sentence, "The night had won nothing..." in the final paragraph. It seemed ambiguous at first, but a quick re-read of that sentence was all it took to clarify it for me.

         Overall, a very good read!

         Excellent!!! Bren is cackling like a whole coop of laying hens!! As a connoisseur of comedy, I guffaw and doff my chapeau!!

         This comedy of errors certainly doesn't have any of its own. It is wonderfully crafted and well-written! The repeated "Beez Beez Beez" is still sounding in my ears in a manner reminiscent of the alarms when the Ghostbusters' containment grid was shut down by Walter Peck of the EPA.

         Before you read this, I advise tossing something soft onto the floor you'll soon be rolling on!

         Very interesting little dragon tale. The verb tense in the second paragraph threw me a little, but I confess to having read this story a little fast with some things pressing me for time. I intend to reread it later and maybe write another review.

         Overall, it's a nice read! I like the originality of the plot.

         My one tiny 'criticism' of this clever and meaningful tale is that the black-winged Ronk is not specifically identified. Is Ronk, perhaps, a black pelican?

         This story is well-written and insightful. I love stories that give humankind a conscience! It tells of a common problem birds and other animals have with people who feed them, even if unintentionally, and suddenly stop.

         Excellent story!

         These are basic courtesies that were not only common in years bygone, they were expected. In my youth, failing them would earn looks of shame and a reputation as a thoughtless, rude, uncaring person. Of course, in my youth such a person was shunned. The 21st century seems to be mainly the century of I, Me, Mine.

         I hold the door for strangers when someone is a few steps behind me. I open doors for Bren most of the time, even if it means going out of my way to do so. She's perfectly capable, but each person takes care of what's important to them. Bren's important to me.

         We return things to the place we got them. Why? Because that's the way we were raised. Why doesn't everyone? Self-centered laziness.

         This is a great bit of writing, dealing with increasing self-centeredness in this country, if not the world.

         I love the direct-forward honesty I hear in this poem titled Liar! I'm hearing, hopefully correctly, an introspection here. The poem seems to transpose the internal and the external, as though bringing the depths of the poem and its writer out into the open and shining the light of truth into the depths.

         The structure of this poem is great. It isn't rythmic except insofar as the human mind is rhythmic, but there is a definite flow which carries the reader through the poem.

         Written language is largely an assemblage of words, and the words in these lines are obviously very well chosen.

         The phrase "...your heart pumps ink and jerks tears..." made me think of the 'soda jerks' of early 20th century America. The soda jerk was usually a well-known, liked, and respected individual who 'jerked' the sodas from the fountain. In my mind, the metaphor compares the writer and the soda jerk. The one "pumps ink" and "jerks tears, while the other pumps flavours and jerks sodas. Both draw a special and unique experience from a set of ingredients and serve it to a discerning customer.

         The words "plot holes" made me smile because of the phonetic similarity with "pot holes." A "belly full of plot holes" would make the writing road difficult, just as a 'stretch of pot holes' makes the physical road difficult. Often, a difficult road takes us to a remarkable destination.

         If I were to share all my positive thoughts about this poem, I'd be writing until tomorrow night! Very good writing!

         I agree completely with this well-written and thought provoking article. No matter how proficient AI programs ever become, I shall feel cheated anytime I discover an AI generated item that is not so-identified upfront. The best AI writing that will ever exist cannot give me what I seek --- a connection with another living soul whose thoughts and emotions can touch my own. I too, pledge to never use AI or to always identify such works clearly and upfront as being artificially created.
         Those five stars are for craft, content, and connection all combined.

         This is excellent writing. It is clear, concise, and flows logically from point to point. Each of those points is clear and well-developed. Each is supported by background and facts used in such a way as to prove it logically against other reasonable assumptions.

         I find the content to be fascinating. I too, have had a couple of favourite vehicles. Having read this article, I now want a Lada. I've long heard that many sturdy and stylish vehicles are produced in Poland, but I'd never heard about any specific models. The Lada sounds great, but unfortunately, it's highly unlikely that any exist in this country.
         In my humble opinion, the fault of the rear-end accident lies mostly with the driver who struck the author's car. Part of driving is to watch other drivers and their vehicles for signals including directional signals, brake lights, speed changes, and even the position of the other driver's head. That makes it incumbent upon each driver to position themself and their vehicle in such a way as to be able to see the necessary signals. The Lada doesn't seem to be a particularly low-set vehicle, and in any case, the driver who was following was doing so too closely if she could not see the signals of the author's car. In this country, "Following too closely" is a ticketable offense and is often used to determine responsibility for the accident. Well, that's my two cents worth about the rear-end incident.
         This reviewer concurs with the author's assessment of modern cars as being "...computers on wheels..." The designs are intended solely to prevent vehicle owners from self-servicing their vehicles by making repairs as difficult as possible for non-professional mechanics. Vehicle computers frequently require servicing only at the manufacturer's designated service centers. So, this reviewer perfectly understands the author's beliefs and is sympathetic with same.

         Truly, this is not a short story. Neither is it metric poetry. The rhythmic devices move in flows like ocean tides rather than waves on which rhymes float and bob.
         It is driven by a passionate current of language which is the principle characteristic of poetry. Neither prose nor poetry nor even a blend of the two, it is wonderfully and uniquely beautiful. As is the tale it relates. Still, it is not a ballad. It is a tale of existence and of life.
         Were I to receive such an epistle as this, I would sit and weep quietly at its emotional beauty. Thereafter, I would repeatedly peer into its depths.

         In all honesty, going by the title alone I expected this item to be similar to the cutesy, cartoon couple which was popular during my earlier years. I still enjoy seeing those "Love is..." cartoons, which I consider forerunners of 'memes'.
         I was pleasantly surprised to find here something refreshingly different.
         This writer has given a concise but creatively worded statement of her view of love in many of its manifestations. This is a beautiful and personal view of love.
         The first verse is my favourite. Love, especially new love is usually ardent and "rushing." As it rushes, it does indeed smooth the edges of jagged rocks into polished stones. Love can smooth addiction into cure, indifference into devotion, divisiveness into unity, and effect many other positive changes in circumstances and in people.
         This writer seems to feel, as I do, that acts of creation are acts of love.
         I consider this an excellent work, poetic though it lacks meter, lovingly worded, and beautifully painted. The elegant simplicity here is in the expression, not in the thoughts and emotions.

The notes are enlightening, but you're quite correct that the poem stands on its own. I like the way this poem treats death not as a catastrophic end to life, but as simply another life event as normal as falling asleep or waking up. Your poem gives a most refreshing view of death, a subject that will never stale regardless of how long we hide it in a closet. It reminds me of a quote:

"Until we wake, we cannot know if what we dream is true. Until we die, we cannot know if death is the most beautiful experience."

         I love this! You are wonderfully talented with these Pocket Size Stories!
         I like the way this story goes from normal to disaster to 'everything's fine.' I did the same thing with a longish poem I wrote for a friend very many years ago. I took Maggie Sellers' Babes from normal into death and then into... well, I don't want to give away too much in case you decide to read it at some point.
         This is a masterful story that uses gallows humour to knock down the gallows. Splendid!
         I'm awed every time I read another of your Pocket Sized Stories!

         I have thoughts like these myself --- all of these thoughts.
         It's sad to think that the business we transact today is more important than we ourselves are to this world and to the eternity to come.
         This story, which I presume is a true one, is well written and demonstrates both empathy and insight. The author's use of words and descriptions of the physical scene as well as the emotions present, makes it real and 'right now'. I feel almost as though I'm there in the line behind the author, overhearing the same conversation. That's great writing. It's also a splendid example of seeing all of life, even the most mundane moments, through the senses of a writer.

         A perfectly unique and imaginative tale!! Well, maybe not so imaginative. I used to raise rats. I've been bitten by rats. I can totally picture this being a true story!
         Like every story by billywilcox that I've read to date, this one is very well written and a fascinating read.
         I'm still trying to decide whether this is a tragicomedy or a comitragedy. Either way, it appeals to my empathy with others who suffer "the slings and arrows (and rat teeth) of outrageous fortune", and it also appeals to my admittedly strange sense of humour. This latter appeal owes to the author's careful and creative use of phrasing.
         Another great story by a great author!

         Here's another meaningful story that not only relates events, but uses a marvelous juxtaposition of two time periods to show a positive and emotional link between our actions of today and the futures of others.
         I'm fast becoming as much a fan of Drabbles as I am a fan of this author!