In the 18th century, Two women conspire
to kill one of their husbands
they decide to poison him to death
the wife buys the poison, puts it in his food
the husband eats the food, dies a painful death
neighbors and others become suspicious
the husband too young too die
a doctor examines the husband’s body
determines he died from poisoning
the wife confesses to the murder
implicates her friend’s involvement
a trail is held, both found guilty
the wife’s friend hung to death
the wife strangled till she died
her remains burned at the stake.

Bob Boyd

Like a Biblical quote about young men having
visions and old men having dreams
I’m an old man who has a lot of dreams,
figuratively and literally

for example, I had a dream, as in an imagining,
that maybe I could be with an ex wife in the afterlife
and unlike with the marriage on earth
everything would work out right

the perfect harmony, the everlasting love
despite our being incompatible in this earthly existence

her being too much of an extrovert
me being more of an introvert
me being of a deep, spiritual/philosophical nature
her unable to relate to any of that

and besides we’d still probably be incompatible
not right for each other even in the afterlife

then I thought about how in the afterlife
there may be no romantic love
all unconditional love beyond
the I’ll love you if you love me

that thought saddens me a bit
maybe I’m too much a romantic
but I’d like to see romantic love endure forever.

Bob Boyd

Yesterday, I thought about death closing in
ordinarily I have no fears, no regrets
with no one on earth to grieve for me

which I’m kind of glad about
I don’t want to bring any sadness
when I pass away on any day
despite feeling young and quite well

but, unexpectedly, when I thought of my death
I felt a tinge of sadness
despite being alone, I felt some attachment
to my now reclusive existence

an existence where each day brings
the possibility of more age-related health problems
the reality of the body and the mind breaking down
like an old machine of months over eighty years

the gears worn down, the mechanics outdated
the machine no longer fixable, the machine dead.

Bob Boyd

Last night I had a dream quite pleasant
though some of it a bit indistinct
pleasant conversation with a lovely woman
she looked like Marlene Dietrich to me

I’m living in some kind of community
that also provides help to people
two female employers are going
to hire me for a human services job
the feelings are quite positive
quite cheerful with the two women
asking me what I’d like to do

the conversation shifts to small talk
I tell one of them about the lovely woman
who looks like Marlene Dietrich to me
I think with the hope of securing favor
when the lovely woman learns what I said

before the dream ends I’m about to
walk into an apartment where I live
I see the Marlene Dietrich woman
in a classroom across the way
she’s smiling at me, an inviting smile
I’m smiling back at her and thinking
how she’s a beautiful young woman
and though enamored, I realize
I’m an old man far too old for her
I wake up realizing I was right,
realizing I wanted to be with the young woman
and it was a foolish old man’s impossible dream.

Bob Boyd

She was so beautiful she seemed like
a mythical creature
she was so uncommonly nice she
seemed like an angel
but when she got angry
she seemed like a demon
and in one of her demonic
rages
she picked up a kitchen knife
and stabbed her mother to death.

Bob Boyd

She came to work at the department store I worked in
funny, pretty, a nice woman, we had a great rapport
her flirtations increased, and I was a bit enamored
but something undefinable keep me from asking her out
on the day I was about to ignore the undefinable
she didn’t show up for work and never returned
she had been fired for stealing women’s clothes
though surprised such a nice woman was a thief
I was grateful I didn’t give her a chance to steal my heart.

Bob Boyd

At 1:00 AM you might see her
walking by the railroad tracks
on main street, maybe in
the city you live in

the little old ghost lady
who is always dressed in
black and glows in the dark

if she sees you looking at her
or hears you speaking to her
she vanishes into the ether

the locals say every night she
roams the tracks looking for
her husband who died on the
tracks while drunk in 1973.

Bob Boyd

Superficial
temporary
not really
there for you

eventually
gone
like the changing
weather

most you cannot
get too attached to

in your life
only for a moment

if you’re lucky
you might have
a permanent one

perhaps to some
degree
in some way
we’re all like

fair weather friends.

Bob Boyd

The older I grow
the less of my past I remember
ages 5 though 12 seem
almost nonexistent
12 through 20 almost the same
20 through 50 some memories
stand out
I’d have to really focus to try
to remember more
the achievements I had in my work
for 20 years before I retired
are mostly fading away too
the older I get
the more it seems
my life was like a dream.

Bob Boyd

She hears her name being called out of the woods
behind her house

but nobody’s there

she posts about it on her YouTube channel
some people commenting about the voice calling her
say they’ve experienced the same

heartfelt remedies are suggested:

don’t answer the voice
keep your dogs inside
invoke the name of Jesus
call on angels,
pray, pray, pray, etc

by some commenters, she’s told the voice
is from a mimic
a malevolent spirit that
dwells in forests

a few others chime in
posting the same

the comments read like folklore
and superstition

but who knows for sure?
there might be real unseen entities
we have no knowledge of
except in seemingly fake folklore stories.

Bob Boyd