colorblind

we project our
hopes and fears
onto people
we don’t
even know

you can find out
that you don’t
really know someone
even after many years
of living with them

and even as you’re
learning
that person,
they’re changing
all the time

and so are you

safety is an illusion

you are not safe

nor am I

what look like
green flags, today
seem bright red,
tomorrow

the thing that, today,
made you recoil,
because you
thought you saw
scarlet

you come,
later on,
to appreciate
as being
a stable,
comforting
emerald green

safety?

thefuckisthat?

I’ve never
been safe

not once

not even when
I was sure
I’d found
safety

you aren’t
safe

not so long
as you’re
dealing with
people

you roll the dice,
like everybody else

the only sensible
approach to
dealing with people
is to assume
that it’s
not going to
work out

but to behave
as if it will
work out

until they give you
some kind of
undeniable reason
to walk away

not some
superficial “ick,”
a childish picayune,
but a genuine
dealbreaker

and if that
never happens,
well then,
lucky you

nice work,
if you can get it

me?
I have
gone completely
into hiding,
many times,
often for years
at a stretch

I crawl out of my cave
only if something
seems particularly
interesting

I stopped looking for
greens and reds

because looking for them
never had any actual
bearing on the outcome

not once

now, I just assume
90% of the women
I encounter
are not going to be
worth the time of day

experience has taught me that

and the remaining 10%?

well, I won’t know
until I find out

the hard way

never learning
from your mistakes
is dumb

but being
too cautious
about the possibility
of making
some mistakes
that you might
learn from

is boring ⠀
and lonely

green and red
aren’t really
the best colors,
anyway

I’m more partial to
black and purple,
blues and grays

you are
not safe

nor am I

Vaya con Dios, amigo


©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

Quick Start Guide

Nobody tells you
That all the rules they give you to follow
Are only meant for you and not them
They’re meant to be sandbags to
Keep you from getting ahead or
Becoming happy

You only find this out when you see them
Bragging about how they got something
Only because they were brave enough
To say to hell with the rules

Nobody warns you that the people
Who were supposed to protect you and
Care for you more than anyone else
Will often go to the most extreme lengths
To crush your spirit

It’d be nice if someone would tell you
Ahead of time that some of the things
You felt most confident about
Would turn out to be your
Biggest mistakes

And some of the things you put off
Because of how much they terrified you
Would be the best things you ever did

There’s no owner’s manual that
Gives you a heads up about your friends
How some of them are actually
Enemies in disguise
And others, others will be so dear to you
That you will weep from missing them
Long after they are dead
Or simply drift out of your life

If you knew this, you’d punch the
First group in the face
The very next time you saw them

And the second group, you would
Throw your arms around them
And squeeze them tight and tell them
That they’re the most important people
On the face of the earth
You wouldn’t let go until you were
Certain that they knew how much
You loved them

But in all fairness, no one is able
To accurately tell you who will betray you
So you just love all of them like that
Until you learn who is actually who

Nobody prepares you for the boredom
Of that great new job you landed

Nobody explains why animals
Are more full of love than people;
Except for those genuine friends
We already mentioned

But it doesn’t take long to
Discover these things
If you’re reasonably intelligent
And paying attention

You will find yourself a job
That you can tolerate well enough

You will surround yourself with
A very small handful of those
Genuinely good people and
Keep them as friends, always

Nobody tells you in advance,
The things that turn you on in private
They aren’t actually wrong,
Even though everyone says they are

As long as you only do those things
With the people who genuinely want
To do them with you

If you are exceptionally wise,
You will completely ignore
Absolutely every single thing
That any other person ever tells you
About who, how, when, where, and why,
When it comes to how you go about
Loving another person

Because none of those people
Actually want you to have love

They don’t want to see you giving love
To anyone else, either

They want to see you miserable,
So they can feel better about
Their misery

The only instruction you really need is
Something you already understand:
Don’t do anything that you know
Would break the heart of the person
You love

Even if you are positive that they will
Never find out about it

Unless you are brainless,
You will quickly discover the value
Of animals as friends, and
The benefits of talking to small children
As if they were already adults,
Treating them with respect
And kindness

And you will cut the throat of
Anyone who messes with your
Loved ones, especially if you are
Lucky enough to have that
Very special someone,
Because most people never
Get one of those, because they pursue
Money, prestige, looks, power, and
Cheap thrills, instead

And you will strangle the life out of
Anyone who hurts your friends;
The good ones, that is

Because the bad ones,
You might strangle them, yourself

And you will put a bullet
Through the heads of anyone
Who hurts children or animals

But you cannot save the whole world

This world is a hell,
Broken and irreparable

You are only one person,
And you will go mad
Trying to prevent the infinite,
Torrential, immeasurable
Slew of evil
That befalls all those who dwell
In this miserable, haunted place

So, everyone else…

Fuck ‘em

They’re all
On their own


©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

Be Silent Now

Most people are
Too crazy
To sit still

And let
Somebody
Love them

There are too many
Preconceptions
Requirements
Conditionals
Unspoken
Expectations

Too much trauma

Too many
Feelings
Of guilt
Fear
Shame
Unworthiness

They’ll have a
Knee-jerk reaction
And stop it cold
From the start

Or accept it,
Initially

They’ll go through
All the motions, the buzz that
Flutters through you when you’re
With someone new

But the
Moment
They realize
It’s not ending,
They’re not being
Dumped

They’re not seeing any
Major red flags,
The things that would
Normally allow them
An acceptable excuse
To bow out, step away

When nothing
Unusual happens

When it just
Goes along
Smoothly,
The way that it’s
Supposed to

They find that they’re
Too addicted
To the drama

The constant
Yo-yo seesaw roller coaster
Of the madness
That is most relationships

The steady supply
Of predictable
Comfort
Is just
Too much
For them
To take

So they start
Something

A fight

Or they obsess
Over a need
That they
Never express
With words

Or they project
A belief or attitude
Onto the other person,
One that isn’t in that person’s
Character, interest, thoughts,
Feelings, needs, or wants

But nonetheless,
They convince themselves
That the other person
Started the fight

The other person should have
Known what they needed

The other person was really
Hiding how they truly felt

And they blow it up

Like a marine
Clearing a foxhole
With a grenade, then the pistol,
And the bayonet, just to be safe

Really emptying it out,
Making sure that
Everything in there
Is dead

It’s a fear response

The brain is,
In a strange,
Perverse way,
Trying to
Protect itself

Odd,
Considering

All the damn thing
Had to do was

Sit still

Accept someone
Petting it​,
Kissing on it,
Hugs and
Praise

But sometimes,
There just too much
Heartache
Sitting right there,
Fresh in the memories

We can’t separate
The past from the present

Sometimes,
The person will
Realize the mistake
Later on

But the moment
Has passed

The doctor
Walks into the
Waiting room
And says with a
Somber tone

I’m sorry,
They didn’t make it

The body rejected
The donor’s heart

There was
Nothing
We could do


©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell 

The Unknown Haiku

She knows not what is

She knows not what is
But imagines all the worst
A fear of judgment


©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

Wolfish

They’ll tell you that you can do better, but you can’t

They’ll tell you that
You can do better,
But you can’t

You’ll think that
You can do better,
But you won’t

It isn’t about “settling”

Thinking of it that way
Is foolish

The trick to winning is simply
Understanding
What the finish line
Actually looks like

There is no
Everything
To be had

There is only the
Possibility
Of having someone ⠀
Who you can feel
Reasonably good about
Devoting yourself to

It’s Not about
Who will be
Devoted to
you

But who
YOU
Devote
yourself to

Every single person
You will ever encounter
Is batshit crazy

We’re all
Troubled
Flawed
Neurotic
Selfish
Broken
Angry
Boring
Insecure
Difficult
Gross

All of these things,
In one way or another

They reveal themselves
After enough time
And stress

Relationships
Are not about
Butterflies and
Romance

They’re about
Who you’re grateful
To have in your corner…

When the wolves
Are at your door

It’s about who you can
Stand to be around
When you’re at your lowest

When you’re seething with rage

When you’re working on
Something important

When you’re happy, sad,
Sick, hungry, horny

When you feel like you
Need to be invisible,
Or need to be seen

It was never
About what
You can have

It has always been
About what
You can give

And that
Is why
Very few people
These days
Are even halfway
Happy

If you find someone
Who you feel safe with,
Who makes you laugh

If you’re pretty sure they’re
Doing their best to keep you,
Trying to make you happy,
And you’re fairly certain
They’re not going to leave you

If you can make each other cum

If the way that they
Challenge you
To be at your best
Makes you feel even
1% more confident
That you can
Be your best

Then go look in the mirror
And promise yourself
That you’ll never leave,
Even after you go crazy,
Believing that you must leave

Because sooner or later,
You’ll do exactly that

You’ll talk yourself into ⠀
Doing something stupid ⠀
⠀
It’s what everyone does

It’s why everyone is unhappy

But if you’re smart,
You’ll sit tight and
Wait for it to pass

You will never cheat,
Not even once

Not even that little thing
That’s not technically cheating,
Except that it is, and you know it

If they smile
Because of you

And you smile
Because of them

Stop looking.
You’re done.
You’ve already won.

The grass
On the other side
Of the fence
Is on fire

Butterflies go away

Boring
Is good

A good partner
Regulates your
Nervous system

They don’t keep you
Spinning

People selfishly
Running around
Chasing their
Dopamine fix

Looking for a
Soulmate, a Twin Flame

What fucking asinine terms
Bedtime stories for children

Everyone is busy
Shopping for that
Special someone

THE ONE
Who excites them
The most

If they were smart,
They’d be
Selecting for
The person who
Bothers them
The least

Don’t look for the someone
Who ignites your passion
Twenty-four/seven

That motherfucker
Doesn’t exist

If they do,
There should be a
Warning label
On their forehead

Not the someone
Who gives you
The most

But the
Someone
Who ignites
Your desire
To give,
To Serve
To be selfless for

That’s the one
Who you’ll
Follow into hell
And come out
Smiling

Oh,
By the
Way

The wolves
Said to
Tell you
Hello

They said
They’ll be
Dropping by
To see you
Very soon


©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

Norms

I.

That’s never appropriate.
But people will talk.
Unacceptable.
Immoral.
Wrong.
Weird.
Bad.
No.

OK.
Yes, I do like it.
It does feel right.
Alright, but just once.
It’s none of their business.
Yeah, I guess this is different.
Only under these circumstances.
I don’t usually, but I’ll make an exception.

II.

They say it’s wrong, and other things, too
Though it hurts no one, and nobody lied
A small person dictates who can kiss who,
Who can think what, and what’s dignified

Unless you’re spreading disinformation
Better not to worry what others will think
In trying to fit in, find justification
The world passes by before you can blink

Wanting what it wants, the heart an artist
Mores and taboos prevent much strife
Rational, safe, and often the smartest
Unless they protect you from having a life

Jumping from thing to thing is unwise
Or hiding in a socially acceptable jail
Or hurting others with deceitful disguise
All surefire ways to flounder and fail

Promises you make to yourself and yours
—Never betray these oaths you contract
People may shame you, scold, shut doors
Regretting you let them compel you to act

There’s no easy way to sum it up neatly
Love your loved ones, to hell with society
Be faithful to your small circle completely
Be truthful, be kind, but fuck propriety


©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

The poetry of Kevin Trent Boswell
The poetry of Kevin Trent Boswell