Don’t know if you were real or not
but oh what a dream!
we just spent some time together
not even a caress or a kiss
but oh what a dream!
it felt better just being with you
than others I’ve caressed and kissed
just your presence was more comforting
more pleasurable than being with them
too bad we only met in a dream
and you were probably imaginary.

Bob Boyd

Night falls
things awake
things darker
than the darkness
blanketing the night
things you never want to see
those who see them are never seen again
pray these things that roam the night never see you.

Bob Boyd

She was a cute, innocent looking girl
at age 10

but behind the cute, innocent face
unfathomable evil lurked
for such a young girl

she strangled two little boys
to death, a 4-year-old
and a 3-year-old

the reasons she was so evil
may have been

a prostitute mother, who it’s believed
physically abused her

and when Mary was born told
the nurses to “take that thing
away from me”

mood swings and bed wetting
disturbed and unpredictable
behavior

attempts to strangle or smother
classmates prior to the murders

I’m not making excuses for
Mary

I just think hers is a case
or nurture instead
of nature

and I wonder if Mary had
a loving, caring family

if she would have turned
out the way she did

and I wonder why in this
world such horrible things

have to happen

unendingly
all over this world.

Bob Boyd

An army wife
Brenda got lonely
when her husband
Phil was away
in a war

one night
she cheated on
him

with a scoundrel
she met in
a gritty bar
after having one
too many drinks

the dark hearted
scoundrel saw her
only as a score

he bedded her
saw her nevermore

after being used
shame haunted Brenda

she’d never been
a one night stand before

days later she learned
Phil died in a battle

the same night as she
had her one night stand

she became shocked
and unbalanced
by the bad news
and the coincidence

and she blamed her infidelity
for Phil’s death

as if her cheating
on him had cursed and
deadly consequences.

Bob Boyd

The day is dismal
the sun is hidden
behind dark clouds

my aching heart
is in synch with
all of this

because you’ve
gone away

rain begins to fall
upon the arid
ground

like the tears
falling from my
eyes.

Bob Boyd

They told Ned not to look into
little Mary’s eyes

she’s got the witching eyes
they said

Ned scoffed at such
silly superstition about
an eight-year-old girl

to prove the foolhardy
believers wrong
Ned looked directly
into little Mary’s
witching eyes

that looked no different
than any other
little girl’s eyes

nothing happened

a week passed
Ned still unwitched
derided the believers

a week later,
Ned was dead

coincidence some said
proof believers exclaimed.

Bob Boyd

Nice guys were too nice
for Doria
despite her being an
exceptionally sweet woman
blessed with beauty as well
the desire of many men
nice guys and bad boys
because of her beauty
and sweet personality
she had many choices
among male admirers
but instead of choosing
the ones good for her
she always chose
the bad boys
sadly her obsession
with chronically
misbehaving men
led to her having
a miserable life with
cheaters, physical
and mental abusers
until her worst
bad boy pick
put her in her grave
beaten to death.

Bob Boyd

Healthy all your life

until

you grow older
and might become

one of those in need of
in home assistance
on a walker
in a wheelchair
or

the absolute worst
in a nursing home
with you death
impending

or

your mind gone
your awareness
barely operative

you become like
a zombie when
you mindlessly
wander
if you have a
spouse,
you no longer
know her

your mind has
said goodbye
to her
and what
was left of
your obliterated
existence

I ask you
is it fair that
for many
life ends
like that?

Bob Boyd

When you roll back time far enough
people were either bad or good
there were no in betweens
bad and good were simple matters
no complications
but as the world grew up
bad and good became less simple
the shaping of people’s characters
bad and good, complicated
nature and nurture
extenuating circumstances
came into play
thank God for that day.

Bob Boyd

The Breaking of Hell’s Gates is a Taoist ritual
to release dead souls from hell.

Damn, and hell’s bells, a lot of people could probably use a get
out of hell break like that; many will be there, some believe.

And many based on their hellbent behaviors and nefarious actions
surely could qualify for one way tickets there.

But I digress, back to the pertinent topic:

Taoist priests perform a ceremony summoning powerful
Taoist deities, chant scriptures

and burn offerings to rescue souls from eternal damnation
and the torments of a hell.

Talismans are included as well and appear to be potent
for opening the gates of hell.

Now maybe some could say this is just superstitious nonsense
but maybe in the Taoist afterlife it’s true.

Either way, I like the title The Breaking of the Gates of Hell,
and I like that those in a hell could get a second chance

were not tormented, tortured and damned forever
thanks to the compassion and power of Taoist priests.

Bob Boyd