Hey Jon, it's Riss. Goodness, very nice. It's all lovely. Keep it up, dear. :)

Very well done Jon...I'm reading and re-reading all your stories *winks*

Hoping to read all of it and give you a feedback before Christmas (not because I read slowly - because I don't - but because I don't have enough time to read all of it at a stretch)

i know you're not invincible, and i know you're not the best writer on the board (by the way, if this sounds familiar, it's because i'm mystical_elven), but i think your writing is good.
::Sapphire::

I especially enjoyed Number I. Marvelous job, once again, Jon. I expect you'll find a way to use these pieces somewhere in your works...

Each of these is a gem...a jewel to be admired in an of itself, but I must admit, like jewels, they do look rather well grouped as you have them. ;)
"Into this dark embrace..." - I "hear" this in a hushed whisper. The singular fate that awaits us all described so beautifully, and capturing the one truth that really matters. Jon, I love the way you've broken up the phrases and how you have placed your commas. It gives us (as readers) a chance to play with the words and their meanings. Your careful construction gives each of us the chance to follow more than one path to the same truth.
"And though I lie here awake..." The first time I read this, my heart lodged in my throat and I felt the tightening "white" feeling in my chest. The great wheel turns, lives begin and end, but sometimes the slate isn't wiped completely clean...sometimes clouds of memory remain...whispers of love echo in our hearts...and a few lucky souls are even reunited. You've captured the bittersweet phenomenon perfectly. The deliberate contradiction (awake, yet dreaming) only heightened the drama. What a truly moving piece.
Lest this review grow too long, I will review the last two gems in your fountain in a second review.
In awe and adoration,
Leslie