Regel

Nicely done. I echo revery's comments.

Greetings and Salutations Johaton,

Ah Twenty! I remember it....not at all. (Possibly the result of excessive celebration.) Hope it was a good one. Happy Birthday.

Regel had a nervousness about him, an accessory he normally wore before a battle not a party. The terran mage was never with out arms but tonight he would be armed only with his humour. Standing in front of a mirror he looked at himself. Formal attire was never his first choice but when the occasion arose to wear it he filled it rather well.

So many new people to meet his anxiety grew. “You’re too old for this behaviour old man.” He said aloud to himself. He smiled and then relaxed, he had spoken those words exactly the way (his Red Dragon) Char would have spoken them to him before a battle. He missed the wisdom and the humour. The only person left alive that could make him laugh as loud was almost a dragon himself “Wyvern.” He said out loud and his smile broadened. His posts and formal declarations of war had become legendary among the Angels of the Apocalypse. He knew it would be good to see him again as well as the other mages he knew form those days that had left terra and come before him. Many he had called friend and still others that had left a mark or two on his person.

The Lady Ayshela’s invitation in his breast pocket, he was ready. Before he knew it he was standing in front of the ballroom entrance. He will avoid conversations that would bring forward strong reactions and let the evening unfold. The gifts for the hostess under his arm Regel rang the door and waited. The surroundings were a little overwhelming, such opulence had been unknown to Regel. The Lady Ayshela herself met him at the doorway. “You look amazing” Regel beamed. “The flowers and the wine are for you as well as this small token of my appreciation.” He stood there gauging Lady Ayshela’s reaction. She smiled as she opened the present. “Thank you for the lovely white candles Regel, what an unusual gift. I was surprised that it was chocolate.” She replied. “Use them wisely M’lady, for unusual they are indeed. They are Candles of Sleeping. Items of rarity from the lands in have come from.” Regel smiled as the gifts were well received .” Please excuse me for a moment M’lady.”

Across the room closing quickly he saw a familiar figure. “Elrond Peredhil!” the two friends crashed into each other with arms wide. “Peredhil you are looking sharp as always old friend! How have you been? Still practicing the green arts I see.” the sharp pain in Regel’s shoulder and knees had passed and he knew who he had to thank. The two friends stood off to the side reminiscing and allowed Lady Ayshela the opportunity to greet more of her arriving guests.

Thank you for your comments Ayshela.

I agree that this poem was a bit choppy. I was quite please with some of the stanzas but some of the others, well let's just say that they needed something more.

However for your consideration what about some revisions

The world is not a safe place

Our bodies are flesh and bone

And when we’re gone we are replaced

Some sins can't be atoned

A straight substitution here for mistakes and I snipped the

word never.

Work is how some define themselves

My job is not who I am

Faces all have certain tells Faces do have certain tells ask any vegas card player.

My critics can all be damned

I had some trying times with my own parents Arwen but while I struggled to find my own space I never had this experience myself, but my sister did.

Parents are humanbeings, and humanbeings are flawed.

They have made mistakes with you. Do you feel they brought you into this world only to make you miserable? I hope not. Your words are so angry. I can only caution you to be careful what you wish for. It might come true. Hope things look better tomorrow. Love and hate have been decribed as two halfs of the same coin.

The true opposite of love is not hate, it's nothing. No feelings at all.

Though I posted it here, suggestions for any improvement are invited.

Wisdom Gained

Words are hard to fathom

Feelings are understood

Knowledge isn’t wisdom

And hatred burns like wood.

The world is not a safe place

Our bodies are flesh and bone

And when we’re gone we are replaced

Some mistakes can never be atoned.

I learned that pride comes before a fall

And remembered it every time I fell

Dilemmas are rarely small

You don’t have to die to be in hell.

Truth can be a weapon

You can lie to a friend

Humour isn’t always fun

Beginnings always have an end.

Work is how some define themselves

My job is not who I am

Faces all have certain tells

My critics can all be damned.

“Alishon's Goodbye” is the story of a tortured soul seeking its release. How interesting the way you juxtaposed this sad poetry into your narrative.

The story seriously scare me Ayshela and not in a good way. The writing is powerful stuff but the intimacy you seem to have with this characters state of mind shocked me. I knew I was reading a suicide note from this point

"My dearest friend, anchor for my wayward heart and soul, i'm sorry. Through all the years and all the tears, I’ve tried. Goddess knows, I’ve tried."

I feel great sympathy for this character you created. Her illness is no different than any chronic pain sufferer but the illness is as real as cancer.

This work of fiction (it is fiction?) has done what the last three Stephen King novels failed to do, scared me and come to a quick conclusion.

If we are to be compassionate people one must learn to be both sympathetic to Danny Heatley as well as the Snyder family. It doesn't have to be an either or position that people are taking.

Danny Heatley is a good kid who made a mistake. It cost him his best friend. Should it also cost him his career? The shame is that he could (if convicted) serve jail time. Vehicular manslaughter in the first degree carries a three year plus a day conviction. What purpose would this serve? Do you think he could be made to feel more badly than he already does? The Snyder family forgave him, now will the good people of Georgia see it the same way or will they demand he pays for his mistake. I fear that this story could end tragically as this accident may yet claim a second life, that of Danny Heatley’s.

Welcome friend. I am a recent arrival here as well. I would suggest you make yourself comfortable. Our newest bard shall be along soon (I hope).

It still provides us with the opportunity to appreciate what exactly we all have to be thankfull for. I too enjoy Thanksgiving for the quieter holiday that it is. Wishing all of you a peaceful day, the love of your family and the grace of god.

It maybe a shaggy dog Peredhil, but at least it doesn't have fleas. I enjoyed his very much. The character you described is all to familiar to me (my next-door neighbour) but she like your Gloria Rivera never met a conversation she didn't run over.

Regel walks over to his friend Wyvern and passes a small shiny metallic object into his scaly paw.

"Keep this with you always. It will help you whenever you try and cast the blaze spell." says the ex-terrain mage. Wyvern's face brightens with wonder as he looks at the small gift. "What is it Regel? A talisman?" Wyvern asks.

Regel smile's and answers "No Wyvern. It's a Ronson."

"Happy Birthday Cheyenne."

I viewed this one and had to go away without comment. Too easy to say beautiful and run. I was looking at the picture you had painted on the canvas in my mind and was considering what to say about it. The smells your descriptions conjured as well as the natural landscape left me speechless.Then in the second paragraph the words suddenly turned erotic.

Rolling hills of dusky sage and lavender. Formed by upheavals and worn by the passage of wind and time to a gentle, sensual curve. Each hill flows down across its width to a passage of land as flat as the face of time itself, worn to a smooth finish, hammered to a seemingly featureless expanse.

Is it me or did it suddenly get warm in here?

I read this story today and had been following the story in the news for quite sometime. I hope as a parent that I will never have to do what the parents of Danny Snyder did on Friday.

The loss effected the whole community and the town of 7000 people stopped to help them shoulder the load. For any of you young people out there think that they have no reason to go on and that no one would miss them, please, think again.

Hockey Town says goodbye

By Brian Caldwell Kitchener Record

Towering professionals in dark suits rapped knuckles with hundreds of minor hockey players in oversized team jerseys on an emotional procession to the Elmira church where Dan Snyder was remembered yesterday.

Tykes and bantams, boys and girls the youngsters lined the length of Snyder Avenue for a fitting tribute to a fallen hockey player in a hockey town.

“I didn’t think I’d be this moved,” said Ken Lubert, coach of the Woolwich Wild atom girls team. “When I look down here at all these kids, I’m losing it.”

After meeting at the family home not far from the town arena, Snyder’s parent’s Graham and Luanne, other relatives and his Atlanta Thrashers team-mates made a ten minute walk to Elmira Mennonite Church behind a police escort.

As they went by, the young players tapped their hockey sticks in unison on the pavement and the sombre Thrashers touched knuckles with each of them in a show of solidarity.

Parents and coaches in the crowd quietly thanked the Thrashers for coming to pay their respects, while the players returned the gratitude for the tremendous show of support.

“You can’t say enough,” said team captain Shawn McEachern ”It seems like a great community.”

Mourners lined up for hours in the sun for a seat in the church, where capacity had been more than doubled to 650 by making use of the basement auditorium and other space.

Hundreds of other people, (including many Hockey luminaries) stood outside on the lawn or along Church Street as a 90-minute service was broadcast over makeshift speakers.

Regel comes in bearing gifts. "From one Canadian to another I brought you a litre of Maple syrup from Elmira, an Octoberfest Sausage (fully dressed) from Kitchener

and a case Brick beer from Waterloo." Regel walks away hoping Tralla is old enough to enjoy them all.

I the words of Austin Powers "Oh BEEhave!!"

My mom is the Queen of mangled phrases.

"You look like death run over!" is one of my favourites.

I'd rather have a bottle in front of me,

than a frontal lobotomy. ------unknown

Well deserved Wyvern. Congratulations!

I thank you all for your comments. The source of this was the unexpected passing of my father. He was in his 60th year and an epileptic. He awoke that morning to the alarm clocking ringing and the automatic coffeemaker brewing but as he reached to turn off the alarm he suffered his last Grand Mal. This is a difficult time of the year for me as summer turns to autumn. Picture perfect fall days with flowers still in full bloom are bittersweet.

The collabration was amazing. I was taken by the balance of the two extremes. The duality is there in all of us. Some will find the courage to seek their potential. Thank you again Peredhil and also to you Rune.

Travelling the road called life.

At the beginning the journey down this road was easy. Carried along in the warmth of a loving family I had every need attended to. I was the oldest and for two wonderful years I also enjoyed being the only child. As I grew older I realized that I was lucky. I had two loving parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and more cousins than you could shake a stick at. The road had a few bumps here and there but there was always someone around to lend a hand if I needed it.

I understood that moving forward was living and that lingering in one place was not healthy. As a youth I was always racing ahead anxious to see what was waiting around the corner. So much to learn and experience I could never relate to the sadness in my parent’s eyes when they wanted to linger but had to move forward with me. “Come on!” I would say to them and reluctantly they would smile and begin to march forward again. I had so much more to see and so did they through the eyes of their child.

I am a parent now and I understand the sadness in their eyes. I have experienced personal losses and broken dreams and know that they can make your feet grow heavy. Some of the people that held my hand when I was small are gone now and I often stop and look back. I want to linger, but if I do I hear a young voice calling for me. “Come on dad.” I look ahead to see my youngest son and with a smile I reluctantly move forward down that road again.

Was Sherlock Holmes a seer? No his was an extremely observant individual that could gather clues quickly and draw logical conclusions. It is an ability that can be cultivated, honed and sharpened. Yes it is. Do they fortunetellers see into the future? I doubt that the see into the future but I do believe that they can draw logical conclusions.

Do I believe in psychic abilities? I believe that the human mind is vastly under developed but is that psychic abilities? Can't say.

Finally if a fortuneteller told me my fortune you can be sure of one thing. I didn't pay for it.