better at home & we all feel, and he didn’t + Jill Scott

Two poems shared on Substack notes

Homemade salad: diced chicken tenders, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, & Colby Jack cheese. I drizzled the ranch dressing onto the salad after I took the photo. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

better at home

fresh fruits and veggies
diced chicken tenders with cheese
creamy ranch dressing


AI-Generated Image: A Black man dressed handsomely in a jean jacket, cream-colored shirt, and jeans, standing on a porch in front of a door. He has a pensive look on his face.

we all feel, and he didn’t

he was too
equanimous. you
maybe thinking,
“that’s not a good thing?”
and I’m obligated to tell you
that I needed someone who
would explode with anger if
the world caved in on him…
eventually.

I needed to know that he could cry,
would cry if his heart
were crushed with grief.
but he didn’t know
tears—he hadn’t been open
enough to let them cleanse him,
and I couldn’t continue to love a
man who wouldn’t emote.

I understand strength, the rearing
of holding back emotion when you
can release it was
always weakness to me.
I wanted to know that
if I broke down, he could break down
with me, and we’d lift each other up.

but in a world that
tells a man to be
stone in order to be
loved, he couldn’t
hear my cries.


Jill Scott—Pressha


Scattered Words: Hardcover $26.00 USD|Scattered Words: eBook $11.00 USD|Scattered Words: Amazon

Doing Nothing Is Hard Work

A Senryu

I snapped this photo of Zumi Tye while it chomped down on its dinner for the evening. What’s in Zuse’s dinner tray? Blueberries & turnip greens. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

long day of nothing
bathing in humidity
waiting for Mommy


We called him Tortoise because he taught us.Lewis Carroll


Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

the best choice for me

a senryu

AI-Generated Image: 3 furry puppies ranging in color markings of white, brown, black, & tan. Two are standing, and one is lying down. All three have Teddy Bear-shaped facial cuts with perfectly groomed furry bodies. The background is subtle with beige and tan as the colors that are peeking through.

researching love locks
rescue baby or breeder
who will be my match


Have you gotten your copy of SéduireSerial Tales & Flash Fiction at Lulu in E-Book Paperback versions, or Amazon in Paperback (only) yet?

I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing, as I discuss recent events related to my previous place of employment, including racism and discrimination, the growth I experienced after resigning from that company, and the foibles and overall experiences of life. I welcome your visit.

cold-turkeying a love & As Christmas Comes To an End

Two poems shared on Substack notes

AI-Generated Image: A Black woman with locs, wearing glasses, sitting on her bed, writing in a journal. 

cold-turkeying a love

I’m cold-turkeying a love I should have
left when I first realized it was time
to leave before I become
cold-hearted.


As Christmas Comes To an End

I am locked into Broncos and Chiefs,
and Prime was glitching earlier, no
rhyme or reason to the delay, but I
remain tuned in; first quarter took a while
To warm up — old Buick, winter weather…
breathe, you’ll get it.

My cousin’s text message breaks my
attention, and I see the preview for a
photo and a video, and instantly, I’m
reminded of how much fun we used to
have as children — “Popcorn Loving
our way down the block.

New Edition was a drug of choice.
7 and 9-year-olds shouldn’t know anything
about crushes, but we were latchkey kids, raising
ourselves from the hours of 3 PM to 8 PM.
We were curious, and curiosity was meant
to kill us, but it didn’t.
We survived the block.

And even though we’re so far removed
from the neighborhood that reared us through
grade school, pieces of it still breathe life
into us.

Christmas is ending, and I remember the
past while braving my present.
What does the future have for me to live
through next?

I guess… we’ll have
to see.


Have you gotten your copy of SéduireSerial Tales & Flash Fiction at Lulu in E-Book Paperback versions, or Amazon in Paperback (only) yet?

I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing, as I discuss recent events related to my previous place of employment, including racism and discrimination, the growth I experienced after resigning from that company, and the foibles and overall experiences of life. I welcome your visit.

chocolate teaser

a savory poem

Hot cocoa. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

with my salivating taste
buds patiently
waiting, I tweaked a
hot cocoa recipe
and took the first
sip that led me to a
a new lover’s arms.

I’ll be right here
tomorrow; same
time, same place,
eager to coat my
tongue with a savory
chocolate heaven.

simply divine.


A savory poem celebrates rich, complex flavors and satisfying, hearty experiences, often using food imagery to evoke deep emotion or memory, as seen in poems about home cookingspicesfamily gatherings, or even love and loss, focusing on hearty tastes like bacon, curries, and herbs rather than just sweetness, finding depth in everyday meals and shared moments. 

Google Gemini Overview of a Savory Poem.

Have you gotten your copy of SéduireSerial Tales & Flash Fiction at Lulu in E-Book Paperback versions, or Amazon in Paperback (only) yet?

I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing, as I discuss recent events related to my previous place of employment, including racism and discrimination, the growth I experienced after resigning from that company, and the foibles and overall experiences of life. I welcome your visit.

Poem for an Image

#10: A Senryu, Collaged Real & Cartoon’d Tre

Heading Out: Saturday, November 01, 2025. Photo Collage Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt|Cartoon’d Tre by Google Gemini

GAINING confidence
“fifteen minutes at a time”
l i v i n g without her


Have you gotten your copy of Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction at Lulu in E-Book Paperback versions, or Amazon in Paperback (only) yet?

I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about recent events with a previous place of employment, as it pertains to racism and discrimination, growth from the transition after resigning from that company, and life’s foibles and overall experiences. I welcome your visit.