The Ghost of James Hartness

In Springfield Vermont, stands the Hartness House Inn
an elegant, looming gables mansion built in 1904
once the home of James Hartness, an inventor extraordinaire
a governor of Vermont, an aviator, an industrialist and more
in want of a quieter environment, he a built a network of tunnels
under his mansion, a subterranean sanctuary with
a library, a workshop, a study and an apartment

twenty years after Hartness died in 1934, the mansion was
converted into an inn, and the ghost of Hartness is believed
to be haunting it: strange sensations, lights flickering, rocking chairs rocking by themselves, objects fly off shelves, sounds of someone murmuring

but smart as Hartness was, if he is haunting the mansion,
why couldn’t he find his way to the Light?
or is he locked into doing what he still thinks is material world work in his subterranean, tunneled haunts?

Bob Boyd

The Blissful Effects of the Right Woman

Her face, angelic
a blessing to see
her voice melodious
captivates your heart
a single look from her
imbues you with joy
her touch ecstatic
delightfully addictive
her lovely presence
brings such happiness
need her precious love
forever, parting never
can’t imagine being
without her ever
want her love forever
the blissful effects
of the right woman.

Bob Boyd

Dogs Looking Out of Open Car Windows

I like seeing dogs looking out of open car windows
with their heads outside the windows
even though it’s not safe for the dog
were an accident to happen

but imagine the freeing feeling for a dog
riding in a rolling car without need of his volition
head outside the window
breeze blowing in his face
so incredibly refreshing
so amazingly exciting

the sights, the thrill, the fun, the joy
of the dog’s rolling car ride.

Bob Boyd

A Vain Ladybug

I spy a ladybug
on top of my bathroom mirror.

every so often, a ladybug
invades my fortified apartment
I’m glad their not spies
far as I know

she’s eyeing me now
and I know what she’s thinking

“Um … is this some Caucasian, mountain god
tall and mountainous as he is?”

she sees me nick my cheek with my razor
and the tiny spot of blood that debuts

she thinks to herself
“though this strange species
towers over me mightily
it’s a lesser god than mine
because it bleeds”

after her disparaging assessment
she somehow, magically, walks down
the mirror like Jesus walking on water
and doesn’t fall off, as I or any living
human would, except maybe Jesus

I see she’s preening herself in the mirror
and liking her reflection a little too much
I never knew ladybugs were vain

I’d like to kick her out of my apartment
but it’s too cold outside
and despite the fact she’s an intruder
I don’t want her to freeze her ass off
that is if ladybugs have asses

so I just bid her farewell as I walk to my
computer and write this kinda ode to her
while she’s probably still obsessing over
her looks in my bathroom mirror

someday I must school her on the fact
looks fade and her personality is more
important than her fleeting looks.

maybe tomorrow, if she sticks around.

Bob Boyd

Headless Priest Ghosts in the Philippines

When I lived in the Philippines, I heard of
headless priest ghosts

a frightening thought

I read during world war II the Japanese
cut off the heads of priests that became ghosts

if true, such an unconscionable thing to do

some people say it’s just an urban legend
others believe the headless priest ghosts are real

after watching many believable videos about ghosts
on Art Bell’s Ghost to Ghost series

I cannot not help but wonder if those stories
about headless priest ghosts in the Philippines are true.

Bob Boyd

The Muslim Woman at the Cancer Center

Last night I was remembering the Muslim woman
at the cancer center

who was always there the same time as I was
years ago, free of cancer now

though I never had a conversation with her
I worried about her

she was emaciated and in a wheelchair
never knew cancer put people in wheelchairs

but, alas, many are the people in wheelchairs
from cancer

I was worried about this woman because
I thought she looked close to dying

she appeared to be in her early or late forties
too young, too soon, to leave this world

one day she was no longer at the cancer center
at the same time I was

I feared my observation about her dying had been right
but to this day, I hope I had been wrong

I hope her doctor just changed her appointment time
and that she lives cancer free today.

Bob Boyd

Godzilla

I wonder who in Japan
dreamed up Godzilla
it must have been
one hell of a ride
to dream up
a giant monster
and see it
on the silver screen
playing in
many countries
all over the world
causing havoc
wrecking cities
and more
when I saw it
as a kid, I didn’t think
it was any good
but what did I know?
I was just a kid
kudos to the creator
of the movie Godzilla
and its enduring success.

Bob Boyd

The Woman With Black and Green Hair

I see a young woman with black and green hair
reviewing horror movies on YouTube
that she sees on Tubi

It doesn’t surprise me that a woman with
black and green hair is reviewing horror movies
it seems apropos

she has an English accent that gives her
some linguistic appeal and adds to her
well thought out reviews

she calls herself the gremlin girl, which in a way
doesn’t surprise me, but the name is like a misnomer
she’s too pretty to be a gremlin

I give her video a like and put it in my favorites,
so I can take a look at her recommendations
later on Tubi. Thank you gremlin girl.

Bob Boyd

Seeing Headless Ghosts

Some people claim they’ve seen headless ghosts
why would a ghost appear like that?

unless a dead person lived in the vicinity where
once people lost their heads under the guillotine

or maybe it’s a metaphoric thing, like a person
who often lost his head, as in got angry, when living
losing it literally when angry in the afterlife

but I’m just kidding around here, giving you these
made up theories and hoping you never see
a spectral noggin heading toward you.

Bob Boyd

Publicly She Was Pretty, Petite and Sweet

I had a girlfriend once who was pretty, petite and sweet
and seemed angelic – publicly

privately she was still pretty and petite, but forget about
the sweet and angelic

she became as annoying as a rabid flea on me, too many
snide, biting remarks

not being a masochist, not taking excessive sh*t from anyone,
I had to leave her

I couldn’t put up with her publicly hidden persona
the insufferable, devilishly real her.

Bob Boyd

Hooked on Art Bell’s Ghost to Ghost Program

I’ve become a bit addicted to listening to Art Bell’s
Ghost to Ghost part of his Coast to Coast programs
available on YouTube

I like the scares, the uniqueness, of the spectral tales
glimpses into another dimension, thrills galore,
loads of ghosts

maybe I’m hooked on these ghost stories because
at my age I could be close to becoming one

if so, my intent is not to hang around and haunt a musty, old house
or scare living people; I’ll have better things to do

perhaps I’ll merge with the cosmos and live forever
in the eternal peace and bliss of cosmic consciousness

but if I had a choice, I’d rather be in an idyllic paradise beyond
the tragedies and tears of this impermanent world – young again
in love forever with a divinely beautiful soulmate.

Bob Boyd

His Exotic Wife

He loved his exotic wife
she had a different look
beautiful for sure
luxuriant black hair
symmetrical figure
coffee-colored skin
but her black eyes
that seemed to shine
were the stand out
she was more exotic
than he had imagined
one night he woke up
in the middle of night
turned, looked at her
and saw she was a
a different species
a lizard-like shape
shifting reptilian alien
he screamed but she
morphed back to human
mesmerized him with
her eyes that glowed
until his memory of
what he had seen was
erased from his mind.

Bob Boyd

A Little Girl’s Imaginary Friend

When her parents first heard
their five-year-old daughter
talking to an imaginary friend

they thought it was normal
harmless for children
to have imaginary friends

until things got dark
she said her friend was dead
but in their house

concerned, the parents questioned
her about the dead, imaginary friend
she told her parents the friend

was buried in their back yard
the little girl led her parents out
to the alleged burial spot

drew a circle around it
the parents got shovels, began digging
found the bones of the imaginary friend.

Bob Boyd

A Solo Female Camper Gets A Feeling of Dread

She always hiked and camped alone
friends warned her hiking
and camping solo was unsafe
she didn’t listen to them,
said they were too paranoid
watched too many horror movies

hiking along a trail late afternoon one day
far from her campsite
she stopped and sat down
soon had a feeling of dread
that turned into a feeling of
approaching danger

frightened, she scrambled back down the trail
took a wrong turn and got lost
darkness had covered the forest
making it harder for her to find her way

a hulking dark shadow appeared
under the barely moonlit night
walking steadily toward her
each cracking step on the falling leaves
more ominous, more foreboding

when it came face to face with her
she saw it was a giant Bigfoot and passed out
she woke up in the morning
inside her camping tent safe and secure
and wondered if it had all been a dream
until she saw giant footprints outside her tent.

Bob Boyd

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