Month: February 2025

Home To Nowhere: Part V

trE

Microfiction: Kazi’s confirmation

AI Generated Image of a Black man wearing a light-colored shirt with a kinky afro, bearded face, and centered in front of a blurry inner-city background. Created with Canva.

Kazi enters the house and finds his two favorite girls in the kitchen. Kimya looks distraught. Kelsey is in tears.

*This. Must. Be. The. Day.* He thinks to himself.

“She knows?”

“She does.”

“Everything?!”

Kimya breathes out an exasperated breath, shifts in the chair, and sighs before responding. “Yes . . . Yes, Kazi. Everything.”

Kazi looks over in Kelsey’s direction and hangs his head solemnly. What more can he do but provide a safe space for Kelsey at this moment?

“Come here, Kels. Come here, baby girl. I got you. I always got you.”

Part I, Part II, Part III, & Part IV

Joy, Unspeakable Joy!

trE

Please understand, that the following YouTube Shorts I am about to share are things that bring me so much joy. I love to see people dancing, enjoying themselves, and simply having a good time. I AM HERE FOR ALL OF THIS!

BAYBAY, whose wedding party is this?! Next time, I better get an invite!

YouTube

COME ON NOW! Yaaassss, Gawd!

The amount of times I’ve watched this should be an absolute crime! 😩😆😫
YouTube

Neck muscles working overtime, honey bunnies! Yaasss!!!

I don’t see any women in the mix, but I legit would have been standing on the sidelines cheering all of these beautiful men on; I am gathering it has to be a ceremonial celebration for and/or involving only men.

Happy Saturday, beautiful people!

Peace and blessings.

Leaving a Gaslighter Where They Should Be . . . Alone.

trE

A Book Review

Pieces of Me by Maggie Watson. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

I started reading this book directly after The Keeper of the Key by Nicole Willson, and I read about fifteen pages then. I wanted to start fresh the next day without remnants of gothic horror on my brain, and this is what I did. I like to give the books I read my full attention. This occurrence was no different.

I will never understand the mind of an abuser. I will never know how someone can knowingly attempt to damage another. Maggie shares a bit of her experience through poetry in Pieces of Me, and reading through some of the poems . . . I know it took courage to do so.

Here is the review I shared on Amazon and Goodreads for it:

“It Takes Courage To Free One’s Pain

And then share it with the world. That is exactly what Maggie Watson has done with her collection of poetry, Pieces of Me.

There are many poems within this collection I could highlight, and since I am old-school, I literally highlighted phrases and made comments/notes in the margins.

Reading one’s triumph over their abuser in the form of poetry is a testimonial experience. I felt as though I was watching the writer release her pain with every poem shared.

Starting off slow, a few of the poems in the first section didn’t hit me nearly as hard as the poems in the second and last section. But I most definitely felt something–it stirred up emotions within me I thought had been buried.

I commend the writer for being vulnerable enough to share with the world a traumatic life-event that didn’t ruin her outlook on how she lives, but instead gave her the strength to fully live.”

If it were up to me, the world would be rid of abusers in every form. A book of poems such as Pieces of Me should not have to be written. Still, I am glad the writer/author shared her experience as a form of testimony and also included other instances not directly linked to her that so many people have experienced.

The world in which we live is a horrible place under the surface. But there is always a spark, a glimmer, a modicum of love and care waiting to spring forth. I believe Maggie wants that for everyone–love springing forth. And I also believe her writing will help facilitate that.

Victoria’s Poem

trE

A poem for my cousin on her special day

Victoria’s Poem by Tremaine L. Loadholt
Victoria’s Poem. Created with Canva. Photo used: Marcus (my younger cousin, Victoria’s brother), Me, and Victoria so many MOONS ago, but it is my favorite photo of us.

how can we turn back time
to days of old–when smiles
lifted from our lips and covered
our entire faces?

you were a ball of energy–
an amazing ray of sunshine
that splashed the earth with
joy and permanence.

I have counted the years
up in my head and in my
heart, and the more they pile up,
the calmer I become.

you are showing the world what
it means to grow in light . . .
to press forward when times
have a foot lodged into your ribs.

I will never know the weight of
your shoes but I know mine have
been heavy and kicking them off
as soon as I come home is a top priority.

Through cracked lenses, broken hearts,
failed relationships, and inevitable demises,
you conquer every storm.
God bless your resilience.
It is to be envied.

Happy Birthday, Victoria! 💙❤️💜

Home To Nowhere: Part IV

trE

Microfiction: Kelsey approaches Kimya about her suspicions

AI Generated Image of a Black woman with curly hair, hooped earrings, a beautiful smile, and centered in front of a pink to purplish background. Created with Canva.

Kimya is home from work. Her body is worn and she looks like lost hope and misplaced grief. Kelsey stands at the kitchen’s entrance waiting for her mother.

She is breathing heavily. The room is closing in on her. The sun moves in and centers itself on their kitchen windows. Kelsey’s breathing picks up slightly. She inhales, then exhales, then slams her mother with the question.

“Mom! You look tired. Work must’ve been insane! Come, sit down.” She casually pulls out a chair. Kimya flops her flailing body onto the chair’s surface.

“Thank you, Kels. What’s up? Something on your mind?”

Kelsey shifts on her heels, bounces back and forth, and hurriedly throws the question into the air, “Am I adopted?”

Kimya gulps. Her eyes widen. She cuffs her weakened hands onto her face and puffs air into them.

“I knew this day was coming. Yes, Kels. Yes, you’re adopted.”

Part I, Part II, & Part III

Gothic Horror Fans: I Got You!

trE

A Book Review

The Keeper of the Key by Nicole Willson. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

This book review feels rather special to me. Why? The author is a writer I grew with as we both wrote fiction for a publication on Medium called Hinged.press, formerly, The Weekly Knob. I always envied her delivery and the way she weaved tales of horror and thriller stories. She is a beast with the pen and has this uncanny way of shoving years of hauntings and mysteriousness into compact vignettes that anyone can enjoy.

We were both featured in the publication’s “Author’s Gold” segment and you can find our features here and here. What I love about Nicole’s writing is she creates believable characters any of us can be or may have been in the past. She pulls you into their lives and then tragically scares the living shit out of you just as you’re learning to love who they are. Every time I read one of her books, it’s a wild ride, which is icing on the cake of writing.

Below is the review I did for her most recent novel, The Keeper of the Key:

“I Felt Connected To Rachel & Her Family

And I know it is because the author, Nicole Willson, made them so believable and relatable.

The Keeper of the Key is a page-turner with wrath, vengeance, horror, gore, love, and resilience blended into every page.

I found myself yelling with Rachel and siding with her regarding her insouciant stepfather, Geoff. I cheered Gram on when she set her daughter, Tara straight about marrying Geoff too soon.

Morgan House is a terror and Nick is the reason. I knew from the beginning he would be trouble, and Nicole doesn’t disappoint. That house needed to wither away in ash form, and I was happy it did.

Towards the end of the book, I wanted to rip Nick’s eyes out and throw them away. I was rooting for Rachel and the many ways she manipulated him and maneuvered herself away from him in the end.

She, her mother, and grandmother survived turmoil and their ultimate demise.

If you’re looking for a thriller with a touch of gothic horror mixed in, I highly recommend The Keeper of the Key.

You will be jolted and thrashed into a world of mysteriousness and of a haunting good time.

Be forewarned!“

Tidepool and The Shadow Dancers of Brixton Hill are two other books authored by Nicole. I’ve read and reviewed them both. I vouch for this writer. She is in a class all by herself. And when you read her work, you’ll definitely understand why.

Her Substack.