NaPoWriMo #14

keratoconus II

A little ray of sunshine before my keratoconus/scleral contacts follow-up|Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

follow-up on cornea scarring
and hazing, and good news
to that; no new scarring.
no new hazing.

however …

my corneas have gotten
steeper in each eye, even after
wearing the recommended
scleral contacts since last
November.

my vision is running away
from me, and I am chasing
after it trying to pull it
back to me.
trying to love it again;
harder & heavier.

unfortunately …

it is doing what it wants
to do and my ophthalmologist
wants to pursue a procedure
called “Collagen Cross-linking
and I do not have any more
passion to give this
man of expertise regarding
my care.

I nod and listen, and I
understand everything he says,
yet I tell him, “I would much
rather continue to wear
my scleral contacts until
November of this year. That
would be one full year.
Let’s reassess at that time.”

Hesitant, he leans toward my
line of thinking, and we schedule
another appointment.

I toggle between him and
my optometrist; they work
on my eye care in-tandem.
I will see her in May.
I hope she’ll have better news
for me, and even if she doesn’t,
I have given this to God.

I will not stress over it.
I will not lend it my heart.
I will not spiral down into
unshakeable pity.

keratoconus, you will
not, and I put emphasis
on “NOT” steal my joy.
You can’t have it.


keratoconus I


**The visit on Thursday, April 13, 2023, with the ophthalmologist did not provide the details I thought it would. The corneas are getting steeper which means that eventually, my vision could keep getting even more blurry.

The ophthalmologist recommended a procedure called (Corneal) Collagen Cross-linking which would be performed out at Duke University in Durham, and I pretty much pumped the brakes on that idea and informed him that I would much rather continue to wear my scleral contacts until at least the middle of this November which would be a full year.

We are going to reassess on November 21st of this year and I will meet with his colleague at that time, but I also have an appointment with my optometrist in May, so I am going to get her opinion on this, too. So that’s where we are now. I was not released from his care due to these recent changes.

This is for God to handle. My gut started speaking to me as soon as my ophthalmologist began explaining everything about the next steps. Those are NOT my next steps. We’ll see what May reveals & then what November of this year further reveals before I begin letting surgeons/specialists/doctors surgically enhance (or botch up) my vision.

NaPoWriMo #13

the way to my heart is …

Wednesday night dinner: bbq chicken thighs, roasted Brussels sprouts, & potatoes with onions & cheese

a homecooked meal
can shift moods–favorite
moments in my life
revolve around food.

it equals togetherness.
it is church.
it is a mutual understanding
of filling my stomach
as well as my mind.

I am a growing vessel
ready to be used for
the purposes of His will.

I cater to me–I know what
I want, and when my
body is happy, I can extend
happiness to others.

do you really want to
love me?
feed me.

NaPoWriMo #11

the silent twins

The Silent Twins Trailer

feeding off one another’s
shifty moods and competitive
ways, these two parade
around in silence in front
of everyone outside of
their bubble.

june & jenny
jenny & june
sisters of silence
and mayhem and turmoil
and eating disorders.

I teared up witnessing a
harnessed neck collapsing
at the sight of a broken
hearted sibling wailing
with no sound.

how’d they manage to
live so long before one
died on the shoulder of
the other?

how’d they manage to
pump enough blood
to their hearts when
they spent so much time
bathed in depression?

such lovely parents.
such lovely parents.
understanding and willing
to do what was best
for the girls–an empath’s
soul will not make it without
crushing.

be careful of what you
share with your mind
when all you were searching
for was a Sunday afternoon
movie in which to escape.

NaPoWriMo #10

beef (an audio poem)

beef: an audio poem by Tremaine L. Loadholt

two different, but similar;
too different, but same
events just on one
side of town versus the other.

they raged through Cali;
past trauma bubbling over the
tops of their lives.
do they know what they’re
carrying?

the burdens of our crosses
can be heavier than our
work schedules, mightier
than our time.

they couldn’t burp an
authentic apology–it isn’t
in them–no act of true
kindness lives in their bones.

but here they are,
connected by trials &
tribulations & last resorts
and borrowed time

that they will
never ever get back.
and they know it.

NaPoWriMo #9

swarm

WordPress Library Free Images

a warped mind only
knows crazed paths with
jagged edges and broken
hearts.

a lonely person can terrorize
millions without many
resources and no one
would suspect a thing.

a small child,
unnoticed–uncared for,
left for dead–forgotten in
an instant.

she finds a community
linked to celebrity reign,
loses herself further
down a rabbit hole
of regret.

one wrong word, one
misplaced hand, one
out-of-order confession
and confusion overstays
its welcome.

in the end, no one reaches
her the way they need
to–she falls and falls and
falls and never gets
back up.