Pop-up Love

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An Audio Poem

Conversation between my friend and I, re: my belief that I should be an old person, and her telling me I will be one and hopefully, I’ll encounter someone just like me when I am older. That’s what I call Pop-up Love–love straight outta the blue when you least expect it.
Pop-up Love by Tremaine L. Loadholt

I joke about my belief that I should be
an old person with a friend who gets
the sillier side of me than most people
do–and what transpired was the birth
of pop-up love.

Earlier that day, an elderly woman
was being escorted down the hall
by one of our Techs, and someone
decided it a good time to make
hot cocoa. She looked into my
office as she hobbled by and straight
into my eyes, and said, “Did you put
on some hot cocoa?!”

I wanted to hug this beautiful aging
woman and hold on tight to her.
When I answered her, I smiled widely–“No,
ma’am. It wasn’t me.”
In that moment, I wish it were me–I wish
I had enough time to place two mugs
smack dab in the middle of that
hallway, sit in a crooked circle with her,
and down the creamy goodness of
a favorite pastime delight.

I could tell she was a pistol in her day,
making the men smile, and probably
some women, too. She had curly, wispy
hair, a lean-away from posture, and
a slow hobble that needed little-to-no
guiding. And all I could do was smile.
Smile and wish I could shoot
the shit with her.

But back to my friend who commented
lovingly about my eventually being old
and hopefully the older version of me
would meet someone like me.
Let it sit. Let it marinate.

When someone isn’t as open
with their love or their trust
and they decide to land a phrase
on you that could lift you up when
you least expect it–you’re doing what
God has formed you to do.

You are creating change.

And as I re-read her comment
several times that day and into
the next, I grew thankful for having
characteristics that meld into
the memories of my loved ones,
and they can rehash them when
the time is right.

Whoever thought my affinity
for the elderly would lead
me down a road of love
that was needed in a moment
where I was feeling I hadn’t had
the chance to feel loved as deeply
as I would like.

And then love pops up,
out of a place it usually doesn’t form,
and reminds me I am
still worthy and my flowers
lay at my feet.

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