Tavern People in Dracula Movie Crossing Themselves

The solicitor stops at a village near Count Dracula’s liar.
The villagers cross themselves at the mention of Dracula.
They warn him of the horrors at the castle.
He blows their warnings off as foolish superstition.
And you know, it’s to his coming peril.
A wise man would have dialogued with the villagers,
investigated their claims of werewolves and vampires.
Heeded their well meaning warnings.
Felt the portents in their words.
Sensed the horrors at the castle.
Pulse and heart beat quickening,
he would have prudently turned back
and saved himself and his mortal soul
from the terrors that awaited him that dark day.

Bob Boyd

Approaching Winter Chill

The cold season is nearing now,
61 degrees today.

Like a warrior before a war,
I’m prepared for it.

And I’m looking forward to
the increasingly colder days.

Though I’ll shiver a time or two
and get chilled a bit, almost to the bones.

I’ll survive the worst of the winter cold
with little use of heat

and enjoy the invigorating effects of the
stirring winter chill.

Bob Boyd

Fighting Is Wrong Teachers Told Me

When I was in grade school and high school
teachers always told me and my classmates
fighting is wrong, don’t do it.

At some point, I became aware of all the adults
fighting wars and found what the adult teachers
said to be hypocritical.

Here they were setting a standard that grown ups
failed to follow all over the world.

Now many, many decades beyond childhood,
I stopped fighting ages ago when I was a young man,
but I find it disturbing that adults are still fighting.

I find it disturbing that we still have wars, and
adults are still fighting and even dying in wars
all over the world.

And I wish when my teachers told me and my
classmates fighting was wrong, don’t do it,
that adults all over the world took their advice.

Bob Boyd