Month: April 2022

NaPoWriMo #6

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Hey, There. Thank You For Being Here.

For Denise
Hey, There. Thank You For Being Here. Tremaine L. Loadholt 2022 April 05

at first, I was so nervous — afraid
to even speak to you — you weren’t
familiar.
the spaces I crept through the
day I graduated from training
made me feel as though I was
sinking in a sea of mission-less
movements.

slowly, over time, I began to know
a woman who has a smile that
can pull you into the light.
I had so many dark days behind
me, and standing in a brighter place
lured me in.
I’m still here. I’m still surviving.

much of this world would not be possible
if you weren’t doing what you do
just the way that you do it.
to check in monthly, inquiring about
my mind, heart, and my work ethic
keeps me interested — keeps me
accountable.
the proverbial door is always open — 
ready for anyone to step in.
I am so glad I don’t have to knock
more than once.

you are made for this time — your
position is one you have earned,
and the title suits you.
a supervisor is supposed to
to be able to pull up her pants
and lower herself into the muck
with her employees, assuring them
everything is okay, and you do
more than just wade in it with us,
you ride the waves effortlessly.

I’d put my money on you
on any day of the week because
I know you’ll get the job done.
there is no one else under which
I’d want to be placed, not after
knowing what you do for us.
no one else.
thank you.

For my supervisor who has taken the time to hear me when I truly needed it most, and she never stops.

©2022 Tremaine L. Loadholt

The Ladies of Workforce Management Poems #3

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NaPoWriMo#5: The Shadow-Speaker: For Stace-E

The Shadow-Speaker Tremaine L. Loadholt 2022 April 03

we don’t always see you but
we know you’re there — two-stepping
in the shadows, popping out only
when time allows or something has
fallen completely apart or a few
house rules need reiterating.

how is she overseeing it all,
I often think to myself? how is
it done and sanity is still
as crystal clear as it was one
year and five months ago?

I wasn’t always this vocal and
adamant on telling my higher-ups
what they mean to me, but flowers
are meant to be smelled while
one can still smell them, and I’m
moved to make sure you have
your bouquet.

Sometimes I don’t know what
I can do — sometimes I’m not as
confident in myself, but you’ll
step out of the shadows to remind
me of my abilities, and then I
remember — I can do whatever I
coerce myself to do.

you are serious about our work — 
about us maintaining a certain
presence as we submerge ourselves
in the almost neverending sea of
calls we get on a daily basis.
we know who we are.

we know what we can take.
on the days when breaking seems
like it’s so very close, you emerge,
and a sliver of light
pulses through the clouds.
goodbye darkness.

there’s a reason I say,
“Good morning, QUEENS” nearly
every day as I log in to help calm
the raging waters of doctors’
offices and patients alike retrieving
their orders . . . it is because
you are — all of you — standing tall
in the face of a promising
kingdom, directing us from
a not-so menacing throne.
thank you.

This is the last poem in The Ladies of Workforce Management Poems series. Thank you so much for reading.

The Ladies of Workforce Management Poems #2

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NaPoWriMo #4: The Wolf Mother: For SS

The Wolf Mother: For SS Tremaine L. Loadholt 2022 April 03

you aren’t just punching keys
and hitting buttons on the other
side of the screen, you come
equipped with Mama Bear claws
ready to pounce on belligerent
individuals who dwell in insouciance.
I imagine you grimacing mockingly
at people who are senseless as 
they make demands for something 
we cannot do.

you don’t need a cape, yet you’re
out here saving us from verbal abuse
and people who haven’t had their
share of walking over hot coals 
in a world not meant for many of us. 

I tip my hat to you — with tons
of markets flashing before your 
eyes as you monitor their moves,
you still have time to say, 
“Good morning!” and on 
some days, that means more 
than the breaths I take to 
continue this life.

I believe you have our best interests
at heart and even though we 
may cut up and find ourselves
on the happier sides of time throughout
the day, you honor your role 
making sure we are held to task.

it takes a mighty woman to
sit back and say, “I am not trained
in that area, but let me point
you to someone who is” and 
lean into her badge of vulnerability — 
of simply being human.

if you don’t know just who you are
to us, let me be the first to dub 
you wolf mother — pack gatherer extraordinaire,
we all fall in line because we want to
not because we’re demanded to, 
and there’s the difference between a leader
with willing followers versus one
who has to beg them.
thank you.

I am doing a series of poems for the ladies who form our workforce management team at work. They truly are a gift. This is the second of three. Thank you for reading and listening too. Peace and blessings

The Ladies of Workforce Management Poems #1

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NaPoWriMo #3: The Comedienne: For AD

An Audio Poem

The Comedienne: For AD

there are days when my mind
feels like it’s going to explode–
bare itself naked across my
two monitors from the words
spoken by impatient patients who
feel as though the world should
be wrapped in gold and presented
to them on platters, and you
swoop in with a funny phrase
or mutual feelings of
disbelief and disgust, and
I don’t feel as alone as I once did.

I know I’m not the only one
who believes–knows this.
it’s your way.
you’ve moved through our
department stealthily, ready to
jump in when a tidal wave
of calls bombards us–lands on
our chests, pressing upon
our weary lungs with an armor
of motivation glued to your
frame gifting it to each of us.

I’ve had belly aches from
minutes of laughter, cheeks
on fire from smiling so hard . . .
each instance showing up
at just the right moment.
I don’t know if you know the
impact you have, but hopefully
these words will do the trick.

you are our Comedienne; the woman
with a gift of gab, unafraid to
speak. her. mind. and with your
presence, we shine like emeralds
polished clean on a spring day,
poking our chests out–heads bigger
than before–ballooned to perfection.

you make us better as a unit–as
a scheduling team,
and I am grateful for every moment
we have to experience a
day with you chiming in
unexpectedly, cleaning up little
messes the people we service create.
thank you.

I will be doing a series of poems for the ladies who form our workforce management team at work. They truly are a gift. This is the first of three. Thank you for reading and listening too. Peace and blessings.

Your Poem From Me Request #12

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The Giving Cause: I’ll Miss You, My Friend

It is said that God gives us
the people we need to live
the lives we live, and
he thought it best to give me, you.
I press on through this life,
ashamed sometimes, in pain
sometimes, and you lift me up
with your mesmerizing voice;
angels sit on your shoulders
guiding you into my heart
through song.

I know love. It is a beautiful thing
to watch flourish–to watch grow,
and when the time comes for
love to pack up and ship off,
I know that kind of love too.
I have you here with me,
little reminders to sift through
and enjoy.

Reminiscence is forthcoming.

Could I have been a reason for
this season in your life?
Or am I going to be the all-weather
friend who will never know the
word “goodbye.”
I pray I am the latter.
I need to be the latter.

Losing you would be a
detrimental blow to my growth,
and I love who I’m becoming.

You are who some people dream
about when they request a
companion, a listener, an avid
advice-giver, but in small doses–
something we can stomach.
You came when my body ached
from depression and broke itself
in two from anxiety.

You somehow restored me.

Blessings rain down daily
for me, and I know you
are one of them. You always
will be.
As you venture off to another state,
a new life awaits you–a new
world. I am happy. I am sad.
I am happy-sad and every bone
in my body wants to reject
the reality of it.

I will miss you, my friend.
But even with hundreds of miles
separating us, nothing can
or will ever remove you from
heart.

Thank you.

*Photo Credit: Photo by Ivan Samkov via Pexels

Thank you C. McKnight for requesting a poem to be written for your friend. It touched me deeply to be able to pen this for you on his behalf.

To learn more about Your Poem From Me: The Giving Cause, click here. Let me write a poem for you. I can give it life