Category: Poetry

The Beauty of Love and Creativity

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A Book Review

The most important items at that moment. Intersections by Jack Herlocker is my favorite, though.

There’s nothing quite like reading a book that makes you laugh, reflect, wonder about what it’s like to find the VERY person with whom you connect on a level no one else gets, and sink into poetic goodness, too! Intersections: Stories, Chats, Truths, and Verses, by Jack Herlocker, has all of this and more! Jack and I met on Medium (maybe 9 or 10 years ago?), where we dove right into each other’s work.

He’s always been such a cool cat who doted on his wife, shared stories about his life in the military, being married and then divorced, and married again, and also about his career in IT and as a technical writer, etc.

When I found out he had published a book by familiarizing myself with his Substack bio, I jumped at the opportunity to get it, and I was not disappointed. I knew I wouldn’t be. There’s something in this book for everyone.

The review for it on Amazon is below:

“A Quick Read That Has Lasting Effects

I had not been surprised when I beamed with elation and excitement upon the first few pages of Jack’s book. It’s classic Jack with a bit of humor, sadness, truth, and peace sprinkled throughout each page.

You’ll laugh out loud (I did so many times) from the section, “Chats with Deb”, be inspired by his short fiction, moved by his poetry, and locked in while reading the creative non-fiction. Jack is, as God would have it, a Jack of All Trades.

He doesn’t skimp on creativity, metaphorical blends, easy-to-digest scenarios, and entertainment. Reading this book made me remember how much I loved interacting with his work on Medium, and now, I get to do so again on Substack.

If you’re looking for a fun-filled quick read that will put you in a good mood, “Intersections” is truly the book you’ll want to get. It did not disappoint, and I knew it would not.”

For light-hearted reading with a splash of humor and reflection, this is the book for you. I know one day soon, I will pick it up again, and I’m certain I’ll find something new upon the next reading of it. It’s the kind of book one would never tire of reading, especially during these God-forsaken times in which we currently live.

Collaborature’s June Contest Winning Poem

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lady in purple (at 5:10 AM)

I definitely DID NOT expect this, but I am honored and humbled by the fact that my submission of lady in purple (at 05:10 AM) is the winning poem for June. Many thanks to Melissa Lemay and the judge, Lesley Scoble as well. I am including the audio for the poem in this post, and I will also share a snippet of the poem with you here.

lady in purple by Tremaine L. Loadholt
lady in purple (at 05:10 AM) snippet by Tremaine L. Loadholt

If you’d like to see the poem in all its glory and structure, please visit Collaborature, which is where it is hosted. I appreciate your time, mind, and eyes, and I hope Tuesday is more than kind to each of you.

Peace and blessings.

a date with antiques

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All hail Ms. Sassy.
Twins.
Finished dishes.
I just liked the way this looked. I’ll call it, “Mr. Teeth.”
Swan love.

attempted to hawk
my wares at one of
the antique spots not too
far from me.

a father & son duo–two
local fellas pimpin’ old
money into new money.
I ain’t mad at them.

I walked around the
hole-in-the-wall, snapped
photos of my favorites, and chit-chatted

with the son
who doted on one particular
piece, but was saddened to let
me go without an offer.

the first person I thought about
who’d love to wear holes
in this place’s carpeted
floors was Mama.

I can’t wait to introduce her
to our very own
Antiques Roadshow
and watch her lose her mind,
fretting about
ancient artifacts and dope pieces
neither of us can afford.

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.

until it all fades

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musical selection: One Step Ahead, Aretha Franklin

One Step Ahead, Aretha Franklin via YouTube

until it all fades

we’re all just moving
about robotically;
carrying years of
hurt on our backs.

our scrabbly efforts
have done nothing to
alleviate the pain.

forced to exist in a
world of crafted
terror, the light at the
end of the tunnel
f a d e s.

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.

first world problems & mother’s curbed anger

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Two poems written on Substack notes

AI Generated Image: The World

first world problems

I awoke to no hot water
again today. it went on strike
yesterday afternoon, and this
morning, I’d had it.

a work order was requested,
and within an hour, maintenance
rapped at my door.

ten minutes later, hot water
was roaring from the faucets.

how easy it was for me to
forget the luxuriousness of
something so simple that
took almost no time to
fix.

first world problems aren’t
as big as we make them
out to be, so why do
we spend time doing so?

AI Generated Image: An angry Black woman yelling at the TV screen.

mother’s curbed anger

my mom has denounced her
pugilistic ways,
choosing to engage
in reasonable debate
instead.

as a girlchild who
witnessed her
violent side more
than I can count,

I learned that her
anger lived in me,
too.

what I had to relearn
was: being provoked will always
spark in-depth angst,
but the decision to

breathe through it,
and “make good
choices” can
actually save my life.

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.

carillon & hornswoggled without consent

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Two poems written on Substack notes

AI-Generated Image: A Black woman with braids sitting at a desk with a sad expression on her face.

carillon

her voice, to me, is
like a carillon, played
at the right moment
to dazzle my heart
and strengthen my
mind.

I miss our daily conversations,
our intent on
building, bonding, and brewing
through words.

a funk came and
she’s been under it,
in it, for over a month,
and now it feels like she won’t
get through it, and
my heart sobs for
the woman I once knew.

but I know how
important it is to
best our demons,
and there’s no timeline for this.
I’m here whenever,
if ever she
reappears.

AI-Generated Image: Birds singing while on the rooftop of an apartment building, just as the sun rises.

hornswoggled without consent

morning comes out of the blue, and I
feel like I’ve been hornswoggled into
daytime without consent.

the birds’ church has been open since
0430, and I have no clue who the
minister is, but I am now holding
them responsible for the ruckus the
choir is making. although in perfect
harmony, as always, I would have loved
fifteen more minutes of deep sleep.

but when nature lives right outside
your window, you’ll either call it peace
or chaos, and currently,
I’m on the fence. so, I’m naming it
peaceful chaos until further notice.

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.