Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt

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“Everything I do is in remembrance of you.”

Photo Collage of Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

The moment I (and maybe you, too?) have been waiting for is finally here! Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is live, and can be purchased in both eBook ($11.00 USD) and Hardcover ($26.00 USD) formats via Lulu.com. The hardcover format has been approved for Global Distribution, but I have no earthly idea when Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers may pick it up for distribution. Amazon did not start distributing Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction until nearly a year later, so I am not approaching this with the mindset that they or any other major book retailer would move this book before that timeframe.

Many of us like to use the phrase, “My blood, sweat, and tears” went into creating this, but I can actually say this as a fact. I’ve cried. I’ve sweated. I’ve lost blood… all in the name of producing this book in honor of my sweet baby girl, whom I miss terribly. I hope… truly hope that I am making her proud.

A blurb about Scattered Words…

In Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt, the author wants you, the reader, to experience Jernee in totality and understand why she has lost the greatest companion she has ever known. If you have ever grieved the loss of a pet, many of these poems will not only resonate with you, they will set up holding spaces in your mind, crawl into your heart, and retreat only when they have been commanded to do so.

You will laugh, cry, nod in agreement, and reminisce about your furry family member(s) and how they have become your strength. Grief is not linear, and every creeping moment it decides to invade your heart, there is a poem in this book to greet it.

In Scattered Words…, Tremaine celebrated, lamented, grieved, loved, and released Jernee Timid Loadholt. Every day, she will probably do these things again—not necessarily in that order.

If you have never met a dog who had the uncanny ability to be more memorable than some of the people you know, with this book of poems, you will have your chance.

The Specs: What will you receive, and what should you expect when you purchase it?

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt includes 4 sections, 24 poems, and 9 original photos (digitally animated by Google Gemini). It is comprised of 40 pages, and shares the life and death of 1 dog who is no longer with us.

The photography is in color and cartoonized. The font is big enough for those of us with visual impairments and aging eyes to see. The cover is a hard one… I want this book to stand the test of time and any possible minor damage that could occur to it. It is 8.5 x 11, durable, engaging, and one you can share with your friends, family, children, grandchildren, and students.

Four months later, this is how I remember my love: introducing her to some and reminding others of who she had been to me.

I hope you will allow me to do that. I hope you can understand why I need to do it. I hope you will respect what she had been and who she still is to me. Thank you so much for your undying support. I appreciate all of you more than you can ever know.

Scattered Words: Hardcover $26.00 USD|Scattered Words: eBook $11.00 USD

I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing, as I discuss recent events related to my previous place of employment, including racism and discrimination, the growth I experienced after resigning from that company, and the foibles and overall experiences of life. I welcome your visit.

Motivation You Can See

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A Book Review

Girl & Dog Alone Together by Gail Boenning. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

I am an avid reader of Gail Boenning’s work. I miss her daily missives on Medium (I am no longer active there, and I believe she stopped posting there shortly before I did), but I can keep up with her through her books. And I appreciate this more than I thought I would.

With everything taking place in our world, a bit of light-hearted reading was what I needed.

What Gail has given the reader in Girl & Dog Alone Together is a work of original paintings and motivational tidbits that will settle in your mind gently and peacefully, too.

Here is my review on Amazon and Goodreads:

Bite-sized Motivational Tidbits That Make You Smile

Gail Boenning has a knack for churning out work that encourages various age groups. Girl & Dog Alone Together is another example of her versatility.

I thoroughly enjoyed every motivational tidbit shared between the girl and her dog, and how they seemed to face all odds in adult-like ways.

Girl’s approach to life was to lean on Dog. Dog’s approach to life was to take care of Girl. They make the perfect team.

From playing in the park to taking piano lessons, sinking the perfect basketball shot, and learning in school, the advice given is notably intelligent while being rhythmic as well. These life lessons will be easier to remember and digest for a younger audience.

The paintings bring a full view into play for the reader also. I found myself smiling from ear to ear as I read each page, knowing that much of the advice given, I’ve shared with my siblings, nieces, and nephews, and with myself whenever necessary, too.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted reminder about life’s small obstacles or you need a book that’s age appropriate for a few children in your life, I recommend Girl & Dog Alone Together.

I enjoyed this book a lot more when I read it because I actually needed a pick-me-up, and this was it.

Maybe you’re in search of one, too?

*Previous book reviews for Gail Boenning: Flit Flutter Float, and POISE.

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Doing Nothing Is Hard Work

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A Senryu

I snapped this photo of Zumi Tye while it chomped down on its dinner for the evening. What’s in Zuse’s dinner tray? Blueberries & turnip greens. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

long day of nothing
bathing in humidity
waiting for Mommy

We called him Tortoise because he taught us. —Lewis Carroll

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

How Do You Talk To God?

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A Book Review

When We Talk To God: Prayers & Poems for Black Women by Sharifa Stevens. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

You know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? So, I’m judging, but positively, though. When We Walk To God: Prayers & Poems for Black Women by Sharifa Stevens is the book I didn’t know I needed. The cover is a perfect gateway to phenomenal content.

This is a necessary book for Women of Color. How we talk to God is, as I’ve witnessed and experienced, extremely different from how other women talk to God. I connected with this book in a way that has brought me unmitigated peace and comfort, and I’m happy to express that.

Here’s the review I shared on Amazon and Goodreads:

Talking To God Is a Form of Art

At least, this is what I gleaned from the prayers, poems, and notes shared by the indomitable Sharifa Stevens.

There are books that sneak in when you weren’t expecting to be fulfilled or touched by spirits and there are books that pull you from dark places and remind you of your worth… “When We Talk To God: Prayers & Poems for Black Women” encompasses both of those descriptions.

There are pieces within this offering that read like sermons. Some feel like testimonies. And others swim across the page, reaching out at just the right moment to grab ahold of the reader and remind them that they are and will forever be God’s child.

I am a sinner, yet I love. I am a sinner, yet I feel. I am a sinner, yet I have solid friendships. I am a sinner… I am a sinner… I am a sinner… Yet, God will never stop loving me.

In the midst of the turmoil and chaos of this wretched world, I cracked open the spine of this gift and found solace.

“When We Talk To God…” offers hope, reflection, strength, encouragement, and the reality that I am not alone on this tedious journey of life, and I am blessed to be able to say that I read it.

And I will, without a doubt, read it again and again, and maybe a few more times for sustainability.

There’s a prayer in this book for you, Black woman. There’s a prayer in this book for you.

When I find a book that makes me feel good about myself and less alone, as well as hone in on biblical scriptures that can motivate, encourage, strengthen, and engage my mind, I am completely satisfied.

And, I am.

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Gianna, the Winter Storm Who’s Leaving Her Mark

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“Oh Lord… Purify me.”

Gianna, Winter Storm #1.
Gianna, Winter Storm #2.
Gianna, Winter Storm #3.
Gianna, Winter Storm #4.
Gianna, Winter Storm #5.
Gianna, Winter Storm #6.
Gianna, Winter Storm #7.
Gianna, Winter Storm #8.
Gianna, Winter Storm #9.
Gianna, Winter Storm #10.

I hadn’t played in the snow in about four or maybe five years. When Jernee was alive, she loved the snow. She would stick her tongue out and call flakes to her mouth. It made her happy to be in it.

Yesterday, I mourned her some more, but it was the cleansing and renewal that I needed.

We ended up getting 11 inches of snow here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with Gianna. Our last snowfall that accumulated over 10 inches was December 09, 2018, Diego. He dumped 14 inches of snow in my area alone.

*All photos were taken by Tremaine L. Loadholt, on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Mythomania & What Was I Thinking?

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Two poems shared via Substack notes

Mythomania

Back when I didn’t
overthink things, I
loved a woman who
lied so much,
mythomania could
have been her
middle name.

We were never going
to make it.
I made up stories
for entertainment;
she made up stories
to cover her ass.

Eventually, one of us
was going to break,
and one of us did.

Baby Tre in a fighter pose. I have no clue who took this photo, perhaps one of the hospital nurses or a family member? April 17, 1980.

What Was I Thinking?

I must’ve known the
world would be a
battlefield.

At a few hours old,
I’d already prepared
myself to fight;
hands squared into
position of
protection.

What was I thinking
as I dreamed
alongside a mother
who pushed me into
being?

Could I have been
dreaming of ways to
right wrongs without
a working definition
of them?

Did I know about all
of the nastiness
dripping from the
hearts of men, and
how that coldness
would shift God’s
creations—morph
them into living
devils?

Many ages passed
me by, and now, I
find myself standing
atiptoe, waiting for
change that doesn’t
look like it’s going
to come.

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Jade’s Arcade: Video Games at the Mall

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Flash Fiction: A Wayne Donald & Kinley Chris Adventure

Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels. The image depicts a glowing, lit sign that reads “Arcade” hung above the entrance to a hallway. At the other end of the hall, we see a doorway leading to a room with different arcade games.

“I gots $5.75″ to spend at the arcade, Kinely Chris. That ain’t enough for four hours’ worth of playing video games. What you got?”

Wayne Donald yells to her big sister as she’s scraping change from her piggy bank for their impending trip to the mall to explore Jade’s Arcade. The girls do not get out often. With their grandmother being the town’s declared homebody, their Uncle Henry has access to them every few weeks and allows them a trip or two upon those visits.

“I have ten dollars. Now, lemme just say this… You know as well as I do that Uncle Henry ain’t gon’ give us more than $5.00 a piece when he comes, so I’ll go on and give you two of my ten dollars, so you’ll have $12.75 once he’s done handin’ out money. I’ll have ’bout a dollar more’n ya, so we can split that last dollar later, before we leave. That sound all right t’ya, Wayne Donald?”

Wayne Donald is shaking up her piggy bank, trying to see if any more coins are dangling from side to side. The empty echo of nothingness signals to her that she has nothing left to spare. She looks in Kinley Chris’s direction and nods her approval before speaking.

“Thanks, Kinley. I sure do appreciate that. I know which games I’m gon’ play, too! Mrs. Pac-Man, Frogger, Skee-Ball, and Air Hockey. And if Uncle Henry’ll put me on his shoulders, I’ll play basketball, too!”

“Ya ain’t skilled enough to play Frogger, and you always bouncin’ the balls into other lanes with Skee-Ball. Stick to what ya’know, and that’s Mrs. Pac-Man and Air Hockey.”

Silence fills the room, and the younger sister nods her head in agreement, and tilts it to the left—she’s trying to gauge whether or not she should just stick to what she knows. More than likely, she’s going to do what she wants anyway. She coughs into her cupped hands and rebuts.

“Kinley Chris, I do believe I’m gon’ play what I said I’m gon’ play. If I don’t try, how will I learn?”

“Y’know what, Wayne Donald?! Ya got me there. Ya got me.”

Uncle Henry pulls up to their grandmother’s castle-like home, parks his truck in the driveway, and honks the horn twice. The girls skate down the stairs, yell their goodbyes to their grandmother, and bolt through the front door.

“HEY, UNCLE HENRY!” They shout in unison.

“Hey, girls. So, Jade’s Arcade, right? Should be just a few tykes there by the time we get to town. Y’all buckle up for safety. And here’s ya money.”

He leans slightly over the front seat of his truck and hands the girls a $5.00 bill apiece—crispy bills, too. The girls look at each other with huge smiles, slapping their faces.

“THANKS, UNCLE HENRY!” The hum of the truck presses into the cool air of the late morning. Uncle Henry turns his radio to 94.5, and the lovely sounds of electric jazz fill the truck. A smile slaps his face, too, and before the girls can say anything else, he says tenderly…

“Y’all welcome.”

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V.

This concludes the adventures of Wayne Donald and Kinley Chris. Thank you for joining me on their memorable journey!

This flash fiction piece is my offering for this week’s Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge. It is week #357. When I saw the image, the girls sprang into action, and the story above is what came to me.

Perhaps, you’ve got a story brewing within you, too, for this week’s image offering?

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook