Tag: Poem

Down for the Count

I have crossed wires
And started fires,
Despite having
The best intentions

Hoisted by my own petard
Destroyed by my own inventions

It’s easier than it seems
To give the wrong impression

And harder than you’d think
To explain in a way
That doesn’t sound
Like a confession

Because confessions
Are for intentional harm,
When you knew what
You were doing

But “sorry” is for
When you meant to do well
But didn’t realize
Trouble brewing

I don’t mind saying sorry
For making an ass of myself
I can put my exuberance
Back on the shelf

It’s just that it’s really easy
To do too little
And the other person
Is left to wonder

In attempting to balance it,
Do it right,
I put holes in my boat,
And my boat went under

©️2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

Herbert’s Ghosts

Woe to the man
Alone in the evening
With a fear of the darkness
And a heart that does thunder⠀

Startling terror
Upon a knock at the door
“Who at this hour?”
He can only wonder⠀

Deep is his impending dread
Of spirits and goblins
Bumps in the night
And things that do prowl⠀

Ghosts and banshees
Lurk around every corner
Wolves in the mountains
With their ominous howls

©️2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

Author’s Note: I have always written very quickly. In my early twenties, I worked for a while in a textile mill in South Carolina. I mentioned to a coworker named Herbert how fast I write.

He asked what kind of material I was capable of writing, and I said (perhaps arrogantly) “Anything you want.”

He smiled and said “Can you write me something about ghosts?” About ten or twenty minutes later, I returned with “Herbert’s Ghosts” in my notebook. He was pretty impressed.

He knew that I had written it because he could see me writing in my notebook with a pen from his spot on the floor. And he knew I hadn’t used AI or the internet for help, because this was during the pre-internet era.

That was back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, but they were just itty-bitty baby dinosaurs; it was that long ago.

From the book Dark Matter – Poems of Horror and Depravity

Dark Matter - Poems of Horror and Depravity by Kevin Trent Boswell
Dark Matter

new poem.

(catchy title, huh?)⠀

poetry
is a liscense
to comit
just about
any
hanous crime.

©️2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

Author’s Note: absurdism, it’s not just for breakfast, anymore, Toto.

From the book on the page – poems for artists, writers, and other hooligans

Poetry by Kevin Trent Boswell
on the page isn’t even in this ridiculous picture.

how dare i

how dare i take you
by lascivious force
boss you around
play the pirate, tie you up
treat you roughly
as my possession
force upon you my will
make you drink from my cup⠀

for then,
you would not
be free
to do as you like
i’d be a curse for you to endure
and whatever then
would you do?⠀

how dare i worship you
as a goddess, divinity’s source
respect your opinions
hear your voice
let you run free
give you space and respect
yield to your whims
whatever your choice⠀

for then,
you would not
be attracted to me
no desire, masculine, primal passion
no naughty novelties, obscene, obscure
and whatever then
would you do?⠀

how dare i
stay the middle course
walk the fine line
weigh situations, each
independent, with thoughtful care
read moods, assess
accordingly to act
whether i should listen or teach⠀

for then,
tepid, neither cold nor hot
is how you’d find me
indecisive, wavering
weak and spineless, insecure
and whatever then
would you do?

©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

From the book Time for Nothing – Poetry, Prose and Song Lyrics

Time for Nothing - Poetry, Prose, and Song Lyrics by Kevin Trent Boswell
Time for Nothing

Out to Dry

As Venus stations
Retrograde in Scorpio,
And Mercury enters the
Shadow phase in the same sign

I ask myself,
What could possibly
Go wrong?

Something about
Missing 100% of the
Baseball hoops that you
Never field goal into space

I suppose that if she were
Reading this,
It’d be easy enough
For her to just
Pretend she never
Even saw it

Maybe it would
Make her smile

And that’d be okay

There’s no harm in that,
A simple compliment

Maybe she would even feel
Safe enough, comfortable enough,
To say that she appreciated it

Nothing dramatic would happen

She’d get to feel nice,
I’d get to save face,
We’d both go on about our lives

Or in the very
Best case scenario,
Maybe it would
Make her feel
So good

That she’d use
That number

She’d text
Or call

We could go out,
Get to know each other

But I guess we’ll never know,
Because I’m far too smart
To do something as stupid
As post this

Online, ⠀
On the internet,
Where everyone
Could see it⠀

Not in this impossible-to-navigate
Modern world, where there’s
No such thing as an appropriate
Time or place to flirt with a girl
⠀
I’d look like ⠀
A goddamn fool

No, I’m just gonna
Play it safe
Treat this like a
Private journal entry

Let no one else
Ever read it

Oops.

I accidentally hit the ⠀
Publish button

Well, now I
Definitely
Look like ⠀
An idiot

I guess it’s a
Good thing
I’m used
To that

©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

15wordserotica

I don’t want
What anyone else
Can have

I want
What you’ll never
Take back

©2026 Kevin Trent Boswell

Author’s Note: I rarely do writing challenges. I think I’ve responded to maybe three total. This is a 15 Word Erotica challenge I did about a year or two ago.

On the surface, it seems I went less overtly erotic with this, but within the context of how I heard about the challenge, it’s actually far more intense than it sounds.

But rather than explain that, I’ll simply leave your dirty minds to fill in the gaps however you want to.