Day: January 8, 2026

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the gears worn down, the mechanics outdated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