I see a tiny bird
smaller than a chickadee
bigger than a bumblebee
landing on a branch
in a spreading tree
building a new nest
for a family.

Bob Boyd

Dreams, a mishmash of
scenes and visuals
strange happenings and
puzzling occurrences
unknown people and
bizarre scenarios
most dreams seem to
make no sense
the whys and wherefores
vague or obscure
perhaps merely something
for the mind to digest
while the body is offline

Bob Boyd

His courage stirred with thoughts of glory,
He yearned to experience combat in a war.
He was young, invincible and courageous,
and he always loved movies about wars,
the glorious battles and the conquests.
But he wasn’t mentally prepared for the
horrors he saw in the many battles
he was engaged in.
Blood running in rivulets.
Arms and legs blown off.
Heads and bodies exploding.
Flesh ripped from faces and limbs.
The stench of death rising in the air.
The cries, moans and screams of the
wounded and the dying.
He came home from the war a hero.
But he was never the same again,
his days and nights plagued with the horrors
and the nightmares of all he saw in the war.

Bob Boyd

She greets the morning with her sweetness
and remains the same throughout her day.
She brings delight to all who meet her.
Her nature has always been that way.
I’ve often wondered if she were one of
those people who are angels among us
gracing the earth as humans in disguise.

Bob Boyd

Never forget you are only
here temporarily.
It can seem in forgetful
moments that you are
here forever.
God knows I’d forgotten
many times.
And didn’t live my
precious life as I would
have if I’d been more
cognizant of my
impermanence, but in
the end, perhaps it
matters little whether
you use your time
wisely or squander
it away.

Bob Boyd

Easily persuaded to follow
the lies of those in power.
Easily brainwashed to hate
the targeted people or race.
Never questioning.
Always following.
Morphing into a mindless
mass to do the bidding.
Their country or their
leader right or wrong
is what they think
like a wrongheaded
patriotic song.
Hitler made good use
of them when they
approved of or helped
with the slaughter of
six million
innocent people.

Bob Boyd

The woods were dark.
The night was eerie.
Strange sounds lit
up the darkness.
She wondered if
going camping by
herself had been a
dangerous mistake.
Too late she learned
she was right.
Her blood was
spattered all around
her camp site, and
the police are still
searching for her
body.

Bob Boyd