IanG

IIts understandable if you're stressed. There's been s pandemic and a lot of mixed messages about it. You are not alone in feeling this way. Things can get better even when it serms hopeless. There was a recession in the 1980s and I lived through it. It didn't last forever. Don't give up hope.

You describe the scene well. Sitting by watet can indeed be very relaxing.

I'm not great when it comes to the technicalities of poetry but I relate to the sentiments expressed here. There's emotional truth in it.

The title grabs attention. I assume the dialogue is between a mother and child. Children sometimes have bizzare ideas and vivid imaginations, if you were aiming to convey that you did so well.

I'd have written 'a huge smile that showed his front teeth were missing,' it feels more fluent.

The opening lines are good, they create tension and raise questions of who this man is and how he comes to be brawling. His relationship with his brother is plausible and you convey it well.

There's a lot of truth in this.

I'm not an expert on the technical aspects of poetry, but I agree with your sentiments here.

'A reputation with the locals' not 'in the locals.' That or 'a reputation in the area.'

You evoke the setting and the characters past experiences well. I like the way they think they've debunked the myth only to realise they havn't.