As I often do when reading Bob's work, I have an imaginary conversation with him. Here is an imaginary dialog with my Robert Horne and a revised poem inspired by him –

Faith versus Fear

One person person lives in faith,
While the other lives in fear:
The first walks with love love in God's light;
The other keeps death's shadow's near.

The first person loves the truth,
Facing facts in serene humility:
The other's pride leads to deceit . . .
for such persons, trust is sheer futility.

Righteous persons face their fears
choosing which battles must be fought:
and when to retreat from conflict . . .
to learn what that loss has taught.

Bob:	(sighing) I see you have changed one of my original poems again.
Tim:	Your poetry is in the style of the style of the late 19th and early 20th century. Now it is the 21st century.
Bob:	Although languages change, some truths are eternal.
Tim:	That might be. What do we know of eternity? Even all that we know is very little. Moreover, all that we call as "eternal" may seem as an illusion.
Bob:	(pausing) Whatever. This "21st century" version will also disappear.