Category: Photography

we were made to move

trE

an experimental audio poem

Contemplative Tre. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
we were made to move by Tremaine L. Loadholt

I feel her
crying soul
letting go — we’re
breaking free from
the chains we
formed around us.

breathing is like fighting
under water — struggling to
pull against every push.
I tell her “I am here” when
her mind strangles her.
I am ready to save
her from the darkness.

my friend says to me,
“I could never say no to
something like this… the way
you poured your heart out, Tre.
the way you wear your heart
on your sleeve.
if I were her, it’d be a “Yes.”

and I don’t think
people get the crux of us — the
history. we have been
sacred for years; subordinate
to manager, there were just
some roads we couldn’t
cross, and now that we have
this cross to bear, it’s
more jigsawed than ever before.

still…
I feel her
crying soul
letting go — we’re
breaking free from
the chains we
formed around us.
we were made to
move.

Author’s Note: This piece began as a bit of micropoetry I shared as a note on my Substack. I wanted to play around with it and see what else I could produce. The photo above of me helped with this process. The thoughts bouncing about in my mind needed formulating — they needed a home. I think I have found one for them.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Peace and Blessings!

Something To Think About #11

trE

My taste buds are changing, and I am okay with this.

Thursday’s lunch for work: Cucumbers, onions, Roma tomatoes, & a homemade vinaigrette dressing. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Saturday & Sunday’s breakfast: seasoned grits & salmon croquettes with onions, green bell peppers, & Roma tomatoes. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Last Sunday’s dinner: Pan-seared pork steak, homemade mashed potatoes (with cheese & sour cream), & pole & green beans with onions. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

I will share “Something To Think About” for the next five weeks on Sunday afternoons. It may be a quote, a picture, an interesting phrase I heard, artwork, etc. Whatever I share will surely be intriguing or involving enough to spark a casual discussion or in-depth conversation. Stay tuned every Sunday for this feature!

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Peace and blessings!

3 Poems

trE

NaPoWriMo #29| Published in Chewers by Masticadores

It has been a long time coming (not really) since my acceptance email of the three poems I wrote for the express purpose of submitting to Chewers by Masticadores. I was delighted that they all made the cut and were published on Monday, April 28, 2025. However, I am sharing most of the published work here as my contribution for the 29th day of National Poetry Writing Month.

I hope you enjoy them!

My late maternal grandmother, Betty Louise Frazier. Photo Enhancement Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Flair

A show-stopper–
She never asked for acceptance
But was given it in
Full measure at every turn.

Advocate for People of Color
And wanderers of this broken
World, she struggled to save
What could not be saved.

Dying must be a gift for
Those of us who have been
Giving so much of ourselves
That the flair we once had
Can only be restored if our last
Breath is taken.

Forever a part of my broken heart,
I’ll hold her in my memory bank
And pull her from it when
I need a reminder of someone
Special who made me better.

From the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

What Is Art?

Is it swirly whirls caked in
Funny curls or sculpted crowns
Matched with sequinned gowns?

Can it be chopped liver and
Onions, mashed potatoes & gravy,
And a side of hashbrowns?

Would you liken it to
A couple on their first date–
Woman and man about town?

Or could it be a banana peel
Dressed in zeal, hanging daintily
On a meshy wall turned
Upside down?

I can’t tell you what art
Is more than I can tell
You what it is not, but
I know it when I see it.
And it never makes me frown.

The third and final poem, supertrE can be read by clicking this link. I hope you have enjoyed my offering to a publication I truly enjoy reading. Many thanks to Nolcha Fox for accepting these poems once again.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Peace and Blessings!

King

trE

NaPoWriMo #28|3 One-Line Poems

Raised black platform bed with a queen-size pillowtop mattress and a gel memory foam 3-inch mattress topper. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

The bulk of my bed is for my lower back – it’s a mountain of clouds
and… heaven isn’t too far away.

I had to purchase linens made for a king due to the newness
in width and height of a space that transforms me
during the witching hour.

I forgot one thing, though – black attracts lint, so I will be
brushing nuisances off this plane of peace regularly.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Peace and Blessings!

staying golden

trE

NaPoWriMo #23 An Audio Poem

My new mug. The Golden Girls was truly a favorite show of mine growing up – I still watch reruns of the program. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
staying golden by Tremaine L. Loadholt

a gift to myself, but not really
from myself – courtesy of the crush . . .
birthday gift cards hit different,
especially when you can buy
all the things you’ve been eyeing
and not with your own money.

as I listened to my decaffeinated coffee
percolate and watched it trickle
down into my new favorite mug,
I wondered if it would taste better.

and, it did.

there is something orgasmic about sipping
caramelized cocoa goodness with
a hint of butter cream and
savory mocha that sends my
heart aflutter.

who knew an after-work hot
beverage would boost low morale?
I’ve needed this form of pick-me-up.
it’s hitting all the right spots as I
wait for the woman with
my heart to return home
safely.

she has captured it, you see . . .
my heart, that is. and until
I lock eyes with it
again, I am a lowly soul
tethered to her whims.

reminiscence begs for attention,
and I find myself recalling a scene
from The Golden Girls – Dorothy
mentions to Blanche the irony of
looking at oneself in the mirror
while lying down – you’re not
the same.

I know when I look at this
new mug from this moment
forward, a flicker of memories
will flood my brain, and I will
remember how it came to be
a centerpiece in my cupboard.

and I, too, will never be the same.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Photos From This Past Weekend & NaPoWriMo #22

trE

A two-for-one special post

Saturday morning workout. I decided to cool down in the aerobics room. The fitness room was getting a little too crowded for my taste. And by “crowded,” I mean, two other people came in there. LOL! Saturday, April 19, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Besides, the aerobics room has the best mirror effects. LOL! Saturday, April 19, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Saturday’s lunch: cheesy baked potatoes with/ onions, and turnip greens. Also, a few strips of bacon. Saturday, April 19, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Zumni Tye was actually watching me move about our living room–gathering things and cleaning up. I stopped and snapped a photo because I was in total disbelief. 💙♥️💛 My tortoise baby is growing up! Saturday, April 19, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Please don’t ask me why she looks like she has lost her VERY best friend. Jernee is attitudinal these days. I never know what I am going to get when she wakes up. I just deal with it. She’s 17- she has earned the right to be a super duper grouch, and I will just be okay with it. LOL! Saturday, April 19, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
I did not go to the fitness room on Sunday. I decided to do a 2-mile walk around my neighborhood instead. I was feeling bound up and a bit more stressed than normal, so being outside in the early morning breeze was better than being cooped up in the fitness room in the basement. Sunday, April 20, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Oh, nothing… It’s just me and my shadow passing through the crosswalk. Sunday, April 20, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
I simply wanted to capture the view. Sunday, April 20, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
If you look very closely at the lightposts, you’ll see two birds. 🙂 Sunday, April 20, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Sunday night dinner: Spaghetti with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and spinach. YUMMY! Sunday, April 20, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

in the heat of the glory days & sun-soaked nights

haven’t had the pleasure
to enjoy basking in
the goodness of a secret shared
in decades – my glory days
and sun-soaked nights are
winding down.

soon, I’ll spend them with
a sandman who knows all
about losing sleep over
full lips instead of a
broken heart.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.