a high cost

brandon was
a nice guy who
wanted to fit in
with the in crowd
who had the
flashy cars
and the
fancy girls
got his break
when one of the
in crowd invited
him to a party
alcohol and
drugs at the
wild party
brandon didn’t
do drugs and
rarely drank
had a beer
right before
cops busted
the party
everyone arrested
included brandon
guilty by his
association with
the in crowd
wrong place
wrong time
a high cost
for trying
to fit in

bob boyd

janice

sweet, angelic,
reared religiously
attended church
every sunday
weekdays too.

lived by the golden rule
treating others like
she’d like to be treated.

unappreciated by bad boys
some of them
saw her as a prude.

stuck to her values
and religious beliefs
remained a virgin
until she was in college
and fell in love
with a wild boy
masquerading as
a religious one.

lost her virginity
and her young life
and died of AIDs
courtesy of
the wild boy
who died too.

her parents and
church friends
wondered how God
could have allowed
that to happen
to one of their own.

bob boyd

birds and freedom

birds fly free,
why can’t we
controlled by governments
police, schools, and jobs
during our lives
some for awhile
like schools
like jobs
some if we drive
too fast or
stray from the law
some all our lives
like governments
but birds pay a price
for their seeming
freedom
predators
govern their
brief lives

bob boyd