The Beauty of Voyeurism

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Flash Fiction response to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Prompt

Photo by Tetyana Kovyrina on Pexels. The image depicts a side view of a chipmunk with a tiny teacup. On the ground in front of the chipmunk is a tiny tea dish with a blueberry on it. The ground appears to be a stone-type walk, and there is a dark blue background.

Mr. Doyle lives across the street from us. He’s an older guy with wiry fire for hair in a golden rage. My mom hates him… says he’s on some sort of in-house arrest for his past following him all the way here. I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I like Mr. Doyle. He has this lisp that I bet could scale a ladder quicker than The Flash. I have tea and danishes with him twice per week. He paints nature–makes it pop.

Today’s piece is a chipmunk sipping from the tiniest teacup I’ve ever seen. He also has a rather fat blueberry on a plate in front of the chipmunk. “A proper breakfast”, I comment. Because who wouldn’t want tea and blueberries?!

He tells me he’s titling the painting The Beauty of Voyeurism, and I sit back on the green, crunchy cushions of his couch, swirl the name around in my mouth. I like it. But . . . “Why voyeurism? Isn’t this a more sexually derived term for being too nosy and too into what you’re snooping up on?”

Mr. Doyle rolls back and forth on the heels of his feet, nods his contemplative head, and shouts in my direction, “YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, SAM! If you notice, the chipmunk is focused, entirely too focused on the tea. The blueberry is lonely. It would like some of that attention, too. But the chipmunk has become enticed by, influenced by the deliciousness of the tea–so much so that its pleasure has been satiated by the tea alone.”

I know I ain’t the brightest crayon in the box, but I know at this point, exactly what Mom was talking about when she said Mr. Doyle has a past following him. I get up from the couch, grab my windbreaker, thank Mr. Doyle for the tea and danish, and high-tail it across the street.

Ain’t no way I’m telling Mom about this. NO WAY at all!

This flash fiction piece was written in response to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge. Maybe you’d like to give it a go as well? Here’s hoping your mind doesn’t take you to where my mind took me. It was a fun write, nonetheless, though.

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

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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!

talking points

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NaPoWriMo #26|A Tanka

political talk
shakes up our nation so fast
we’re built on these lies
this administration knows
its power dethrones others

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!

The Residence

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NaPoWriMo #30

Uzo Aduba as Detective Cordelia Cupp in Netflix’s The Residence

Because the dog was
having trouble breathing,
I didn’t get much sleep.

I stayed home from work
to monitor her – the love
of my life, my little monster.

And when she finally found
sleep again, I drifted off, too.
I couldn’t pin down an hour
of sleep, so I got up.

I read. I wrote. I checked
the dog’s breathing.
Her allergies aren’t our
friend this season. Benadryl is.

She dozed off again.
I read. I ate lunch.
I Netflixed by watching
The Residence. 4 episodes
in, and I am hooked!

Cupp is particular. She is
calculated – a perfectionist.
She questions everything.
She examines the unimaginable.
I understand her.

I’m falling in love with a show
that plays hide-and-seek with
my thought process and
places me on the edge of
my seat.

I wasn’t searching for a series
that would be both intriguing
and shocking – I loathe series.
I have to be moved, perplexed,
mesmerized, and changed.

The Residence dishes out
all of this and more.
It is the quintessential mainstay
of perfection in a comedic
mystery. I found my
happy place while my
dog struggled to breathe.

And I almost lost my breath, too.

NaPoWriMo is finished. I survived 30 days of posting poetry every day for another year. And to end it with this one feels magical. Thanks for doing April with me, folks. I appreciate you.

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!

Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku [Literary Revelations] is now on Amazon!

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Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku [Literary Revelations] is now on Amazon!

It’s a beautiful thing to see this magical book published in all its glory. I have five haiku included in this anthology, and I am beside myself with glee to be amongst a whole host of talented writers.

Dearest Contributors & Followers

Literary Revelations is delighted to inform you that Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku is now available on Amazon. It was our utmost pleasure to publish everyone’s work. Thank you for your contribution, and please help us spread the word.

Or you can get it here:

The anthology is already racking up a plethora of accolades (which is no surprise) and Gabriela Marie Milton and Literary Revelations have been nothing short of stellar with informative posts, purposeful marketing, and a genuine excitement dished out to everyone. It’s glorious!

King

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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!