An audio-revised free verse poem
I watched as you burned sage,
cleansing your home of another
breakup,
burying a relationship you thought
would not live up to its
potential,
You were right.
In the brisk air of the hallway,
the smoke led itself down an
uneven path, one I’ve often
taken into the road of you.
thirsts forever unquenched.
who you are to everyone
else will never be
who you are to me, and only
we know the . . .
Truth.
It’s often those who are clever
who bark up trees with no
grip to console their feverish minds,
nipping at pastimes, trying
to pick up where they left off,
leaving the accolades of the
good ole days in raggedy
trashcans, unsure of how to
dispose of each
One.
Didn’t you find me in
your reflection standing behind
years of torture yet holding
every memory we made over
your head as a reminder of
how insouciant you are?
belligerent in shaky armor,
a world of “No, thank you” and
“Please, leave me alone”
lingers on the tip of
your tongue . . .
We Are. We Are Not. We Cannot Be.
©2017 & 2023 Tremaine L. Loadholt Originally published in A Cornered Gurl via Medium.

Great piece! I just found your page, and I love it so far! Keep up the excellent work!
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Thank you kindly! I appreciate you stopping by!
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You can’t see me but girl I am snapping my fingers. This is so good!
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Thank you so much, Bella!
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You’re welcome!
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Excellent poem and recitation Tre.
xoxo
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Thank you so very much!
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My pleasure hon. Blessings.
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I can see why this piece is one of your favorites!
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Thank you, Geoff. It took a lot out of me to write the original version. The revised one; not so much. 🙌🏾💙
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This was a perfect poem before I saw the full piece laid out here, but wow. The lines marrying insouciance and belligerence… 💘
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Thank you, Sun! 🙏🏾💙
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I always appreciate your spoken poetry.
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Thank you so much! I am happy you are pleased with this one. It’s becoming a favorite of mine. 🙏🏾💙
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Bravo, trE! Your poem’s content, the structure, and your voice. Memorable phrases… “nipping at pastimes.” Excellent work! 👏🏻
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Thank you so much, Michele!
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