Trapped Verse: Poetry

by Lindsey Beth Goddard

In this no-holds-barred collection of free verse poetry, author Lindsey Goddard delves into disturbing subject matter that's been trapped in her mind for too long.

Critics

"Goddard's prose burns red with the anger of every woman. She speaks for the ravaged voices howling in the dark."

-Nora B. Peevy, reviewer for Hellnotes

"Lindsey Goddard never disappoints! Trapped Verse delivers thought provoking, evocative, and emotionally driven poetry. A must read for poetry lovers!"

-Michael Errol Swaim, editor at Carnage House e-zine

65 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 17, 2025

About the author

Lindsey Goddard writes spooky fiction and dark poetry. Sometimes, she paints things or glues them together and calls it art. She craves fierce honesty, gothic romance, and warm smiles over hot coffee. Her passion for storytelling started as a small child, and at the age of fifteen, her fiction was published in a small-press magazine. Her work has circulated the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres ever since. Discover more at LindseyBethGoddard.com.

Reviews

[Dawn Colclasure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful poems!

I loved the poems in this book. They are so good! Powerful poems with powerful messages. And some of those messages really pack a punch! They tackle the tough issues and the sensitive issues. Relationship abuse, loss, death and feminism. I loved all the poems but my favorites were “Trapped Verse,” “Too Little, Too Late,” “Smile More,” “Can You Love Her, Too?” and “Nature Channel,” “Why X,” “Altar of Flame,” “While I’m Still Here,” “Inky Black” and “Banshee War Cry.” The last poem, though, is the best one. When Lindsey shared the cover of this book online, it got a lot of mixed reactions. One of the responses to that cover image, though, came from men asking if the book’s contents included X-rated material. When I learned about this, I was ready to scream, “Typical!” I know there are men who are into S&M, as well as getting kinky during s*x. But to take an image and immediately jump to that? Actually, not surprising at all. But, no, that is NOT what the poems in this book deliver. There is no X-rated content, no S&M and nothing that implies a woman is being hurt, mistreated or hurt at the sick whims of a man. Just their regular misogynistic whims. Actually, the poems in this book scream with a voice that none of those men hear. It is a scream of rage over how women are constantly being seen and treated as “less than” and having our rights, especially our reproductive rights, ripped away from us. These poems also capture the sense of feeling “trapped” in a world where women cannot be fully themselves. We also live in constant fear because of men who see women as a target for their sick indulgences and therefore have to be on guard when we go out in public. We continue to be brushed aside, unappreciated, undervalued and taken for granted. That reaction from a man thinking the image meant that this was a woman for him to play with and use up instead of help and support? That is something we women have to cope with in the real world even still.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the distinct honor of reading this book before it hit print and it's filled with some of the most beautiful and vulnerable poems I've ever read. From abuse to unmet beauty standards to the unhealthy love girls are taught to crave, Trapped Verse does not hold back. It is part confession, part declaration of taking back forfeited power. There is heartbreak in these pages and also redemption. There is depth and there is carnage. It's all part of what it means to be a woman, what It means to beg and love and conquer. I highly recommend this volume to anyone who needs to feel and process and find the strength they've denied themselves.

[Dawn Colclasure · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the poems in this book. They are so good! Powerful poems with powerful messages. And some of those messages really pack a punch! They tackle the tough issues and the sensitive issues. Relationship abuse, loss, death and feminism. I loved all the poems but my favorites were “Trapped Verse,” “Too Little, Too Late,” “Smile More,” “Can You Love Her, Too?” and “Nature Channel,” “Why X,” “Altar of Flame,” “While I’m Still Here,” “Inky Black” and “Banshee War Cry.” The last poem, though, is the best one. When Lindsey shared the cover of this book online, it got a lot of mixed reactions. One of the responses to that cover image, though, came from men asking if the book’s contents included X-rated material. When I learned about this, I was ready to scream, “Typical!” I know there are men who are into S&M, as well as getting kinky during s*x. But to take an image and immediately jump to that? Actually, not surprising at all. But, no, that is NOT what the poems in this book deliver. There is no X-rated content, no S&M and nothing that implies a woman is being hurt, mistreated or hurt at the sick whims of a man. Just their regular misogynistic whims. Actually, the poems in this book scream with a voice that none of those men hear. It is a scream of rage over how women are constantly being seen and treated as “less than” and having our rights, especially our reproductive rights, ripped away from us. These poems also capture the sense of feeling “trapped” in a world where women cannot be fully themselves. We also live in constant fear because of men who see women as a target for their sick indulgences and therefore have to be on guard when we go out in public. We continue to be brushed aside, unappreciated, undervalued and taken for granted. That reaction from a man thinking the image meant that this was a woman for him to play with and use up instead of help and support? That is something we women have to cope with in the real world even still.