Poems by Bob Boyd

Some people who are attracted to others
in the haze of infatuation

do not think of the importances of
compatibles

for example, if she is outdoorsy and
you are not

for example, if he is a homebody and
you are a social butterfly

maybe one can work around these
incompatibilities

based on decades of experience,
I’ve learned I cannot.

Bob Boyd

I once read death is like deep sleep.
I once read in hard-boiled detective fiction
death is the Big Sleep.
If death is like deep sleep, every night
you have a rehearsal of your expiration.
I believe death is a continuation based on
the many near death experiences accounts.
But if it is only deep sleep and nothing more,
I’ve become perfectly okay with that.

Bob Boyd

I’m so thankful I don’t pursue
women anymore.

I’m free of disappoments,
rejections or bad experiences.

Sure it can be lonely at times,
but it’s also liberating.

Bob Boyd

A single mistake
can cause you
problems beyond
belief, mess up
your life for weeks,
months or years.

A single mistake
can put you in
the hospital or
disable you
for life.

A single mistake
can end your life,
put you in the
ground forever.

Bob Boyd

So many people seeking love
online and in person.
So many people disappointed,
imperfect matches.
Why can’t it be easier,
finding the right one?

Bob Boyd

Folks called Mary Weatherton Miss Mary,
a beloved social worker who served the poor.

Throughout the years she helped thousands
find shelter, food, supportive programs.

She helped hundreds of homeless people
get off the streets and live better lives.

All of her humanitarian work, all of her kindness,
ended when a crazed homeless person

stabbed her multiple times in the chest
and ended her exceptional life.

I think to myself, where was the God
of Love in that?

Bob Boyd

Somewhere little mice are carrying on
merrily in cages,

running around having fun, playing
with each other.

Unknown to them, their lives are
ending soon

in the bellies of pet snakes, their
brief existence merely for food.

Maybe I shouldn’t be concerned
about that,

but the contrast of happy, carefree mice
being terrified and eaten

by snakes, disturbs me deeply.

Bob Boyd

A little girl lies in a hospital bed,
wires hooked up all over her,
a breathing apparatus on her nose.

She looks barely alive, a pitiful
sight.

She can barely speak … until
she says, “Jesus is hugging me.”

Then she starts listing the
titles of various books in the Bible,

titles her mother says she
never knew of.

To me, this is miraculous, and
I believe it’s entirely true.

Bob Boyd

I’ve often seen people hugging wild animals
in YouTube videos.

Sure it’s surprising and fun to see, but
I worry about those people

because some have died when the
animals in an unexpected moment

were no longer tame and compliant
but became wild again.

And in that terrifying moment, attacked
and ended those humans lives.

Bob Boyd

At first she was so giving
sex all the time

But the day came when
she lost interest

and eventually he lost
interest in her

and she lost interest
in him

and they were living
more like roommates

than a married couple
still in love

and not surprisingly
their marriage died.

Bob Boyd