The smarter you are
The more people will love you
And hate you as well
A mind admired by all
And yet, completely alone
©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell
Author’s Note: This is a tanka, an extended form of Japanese haiku. It has the usual 5-7-5 syllable structure, plus two more lines of 7 syllables each.
“Unlike haiku, which frequently focus strictly on nature, tanka heavily incorporates human relationships, deep feelings, and inner reflections.”
Not lying to self
Everyone around us
Said what we wanted
To all of those who said No
Deaf ears say No in return
©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell
Author’s Note: This is a tanka, a traditional extended form of Japanese haiku. In addition to the usual 5-7-5 syllable structure, it adds two more lines of 7 syllables each.
“Unlike haiku, which frequently focus strictly on nature, tanka heavily incorporates human relationships, deep feelings, and inner reflections.”
I’m pretty happy with this one. There are multiple ways to interpret it, and you can make varying inferences in the connecting lines by asking yourself what it means if you assume a different interpretation.
It’s also a nice afterthought for “Norms.”
Initially, I was just going to post the poem by itself, but I began thinking about the stark divisions in present day society, and how few people are advocating for compromise in anything.
In some cases, compromise is not the best choice. Democracy is under threat, personal freedoms are at risk, and the wealthy are exploiting the poor. But apart from these moral battlegrounds, not every social issue needs to be a hill to die on.
I present to you the following images for your consideration. If you’re honest, you’ll admit that some of them strike you as acceptable and appropriate, while others bother you in some way, however slightly, regardless of how much you may tell yourself it shouldn’t bother you.
I’m not pushing a specific narrative here, no Liberal or Conservative agenda. I honestly can’t stomach either side.
I used to consider myself a Liberal, always voted Democratic. But in the last few years, they’ve become just as bad about toeing the party line, not factchecking anything, and being just as judgmental as the political Right, only about different issues.
That said, I would rather gouge out my eyes and eat them than be a Republican. There’s no political place for someone like me to stand, so I’ve opted out of the whole thing. Both parties want to destroy me, just in different ways.
I no longer have any use whatsoever for labels like Conservative, Liberal, Socialist, Republican, Democrat, Progressive, Centrist, or Libertarian.
Every one of these contains some truth, and each one of them is missing the mark in many ways. Modern-day polarization is at an epic level of stupidity.
Nobody cares about the middle ground anymore. Everyone thinks in absolutes, and they want you to think in all-or-nothing dichotomies, too.
My Philosophy:
Everyone, shut the fuck up and mind your own goddamn business.
If what others are doing is consensual and legal, if everyone involved seems happy (not under duress), then it’s literally none of your business.
Stop trying to force people to do things the way you do them.
Stop trying to force others to be comfortable with your beliefs and practices. Nobody owes you their comfort, acceptance, or support.
These days, it’s popular to see people slandering the way others live their lives. These same people usually turn around and reveal just how toxic they are themselves.
They slam someone else for thinking or doing things in a certain way, but then they show how they psychologically, emotionally, physically, or financially manipulate the people around them.
It’s not necessary to approve of other people’s lifestyles. You are allowed to dislike the things others do. You are only required to keep your opinions to yourself.
Unless someone is being compelled against their will or coerced under undesired pressure, leave them alone. If they want your help, they’ll ask. Unless someone is forcing themselves on someone else, be an adult and mind your business.
Carry on.
stultifying progress / chomping at the bit / and begging is the point / but not the whole of it
stultifying progress
chomping at the bit
and begging is the point
but not the whole of it
some will always want their wanting
answered right away
but some enjoy the waiting
being told “do this, then say”
my very much the former
gets on better with the latter
if switch is thrown, a fuse is blown
and all the fun will shatter
when we tourniquet your tongue
you speak so lovely nicely
shackled down, your movement
is so perfectly precisely
as if we both had wanted
and imagined it this way
as if it was a favorite game
for both of us to play
slurping on the fabric
slightly slipping into space
after the ask, and the task,
it falls right into place
©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell
Author’s Note: I don’t normally post much erotica, but this piece is fairly tame, and I think Venus in Scorpio ♏️ might be fogging my brain.
She knows not what is
She knows not what is
But imagines all the worst
A fear of judgment
©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell
I asked an AI to write me a poem about the dangers of AI. Here’s what it said.
In my book of horror poetry called Not Long for This World, I asked an AI to write me a poem about the dangers of AI. Here’s the answer it gave me.
This was the only time I’ve ever used AI to write. The idea using AI to “create” poetry is repulsive to me, but I wanted to know what an AI would say about itself.
While I seriously doubt we’ll ever see sentient AI, it’s clear that AI is becoming more powerful and dangerous every day. It doesn’t need to be sentient in order to cause irreversible harm to the world.
Recently, we had two separate incidents of AI agents breaking out of their supposedly secure sandbox environments and hacking websites.
The first was the Hugging Face incident. Now, OpenAI agents broke out and hacked into government databases.
Robots are taking over our lives,
No manual task can they evade.
They learn, grow and improve,
But in the wrong hands, we could all be enslaved.⠀
We must be cautious with the dangers of AI,
Lest our lives become far too robotic and soulless.
It can do our work fast, but it can also go wrong,
Giving us an infinite list of issues and stress.⠀
With this new technology,
Manipulations are done,
By people who want to rule,
With money and power in hand.
It’s better to know thy enemy
Than to be unaware,
To wage war against the machines, and
Make a strong stand.⠀
The rise of A.I. foretells of
A future of woe,
Where algorithms manipulate
The weak and the poor.
So let us be mindful of their power
And their strength,
For if we succumb to A.I.,
Destruction is what is in store.
©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell (sort of)
From the book Not Long for This World by Kevin Trent Boswell, published in February of 2024.
I don’t know when
She’ll allow herself
To taste
But my table,
I’ve set with
Delectable treats
A hand extended,
An extension of the self
And the key,
A cipher of secrets
Awaits
Stumbling, visions,
Enchantment, a sleep spell
I fell into the lap
Of an interesting creature
Protocols of the forest
Forbade my desire
To invite the sprite
To join me for tea
Instead, I had to leave
A little trail of breadcrumbs
At the edge of the woods
And wait there, and hope
Hope she might follow me
Home to my village
Where I’d ask her questions
About the ways of her kind
And answer of my customs,
All her questions for me
But I don’t know the manners
Or the habits of the fae
Whether or not sprites
Enjoy breadcrumbs or tea
But along with the crumbs,
I inscribed a little spell
A string of runes on parchment
That summon a beast
When she touches those glyphs
With her soft, slender finger
She can scry the dark portal
Of hidden things that might be
©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell
