3 Poems

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

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

NaPoWriMo #30

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!

King

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!

I Am More Than My Rejections

NaPoWriMo #24 A Cinquain

My lovely birthday gift from my kid sister. I adore it, and I will cherish it for many years to come. I can’t wait to drape myself in it later on this evening! Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

I am
Who I will be
When I put my best self
Forward in everything I do
I am


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.


**The Crush and I had another conversation post-my initial video sent to her of me shooting my shot. And the follow-up discussion was so I could gain clarity on some things and understand what was being said and what was NOT being said.

Sometimes I have to have things put to me very plainly so I can process them. It is always a gamble with anyone when approaching them with some form of keen interest, it is moreso a gamble while being bisexual and approaching a woman you love and have loved for over three years, nearly four, and crushed on for close to three years.

Needless to say, we will remain friends. She has never been attracted to women outside of simple admiration for them and respect for our overall physical beauty. And the last thing we need is for us to embark on a path toward a relationship, get involved, and a dude comes along who she’s MORE interested in, and then leaves me high and dry. Not good.

I’m still proud of myself. I did a thing I never thought I would do as it relates to her and my feelings for her.

But I won’t lie. It hurts. One day, it won’t, though. And that’s life. I am who I will be when I put my best self forward, in everything I do. I am.

the wait

NaPoWriMo #27

I ordered some new,
necessary items for
my home and estimated
delivery time was from
5 – 10 PM, Saturday.
I waited and waited and
waited.
I guess I’ve been Amazon’d
again–paid for same-day
delivery–it’ll end up
being next day, instead.
*Sighs*


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!