the dog is dead
to the world.
this kind of sleep
is what I used to have
before the change,
before the crush.
there’s too much worry
in my bones – too much
brokenness. I am
whole-body ache in
need of a salve that’s evergreen.
who will deliver?
Wednesday is just
another day that my
body confuses with
Thursday, and the mind
battles with it – warring
with an enemy who
has an army of an
undisclosed amount.
I am stuck in the middle.
the dog is still dead
to the world.
she didn’t raise her head
or bat an eye.
the sandman who visits
her is clearly not the
one who will beat down
my door tonight.
Tag: Writing
we were made to move
an experimental audio poem
I feel her
crying soul
letting go — we’re
breaking free from
the chains we
formed around us.
breathing is like fighting
under water — struggling to
pull against every push.
I tell her “I am here” when
her mind strangles her.
I am ready to save
her from the darkness.
my friend says to me,
“I could never say no to
something like this… the way
you poured your heart out, Tre.
the way you wear your heart
on your sleeve.
if I were her, it’d be a “Yes.”
and I don’t think
people get the crux of us — the
history. we have been
sacred for years; subordinate
to manager, there were just
some roads we couldn’t
cross, and now that we have
this cross to bear, it’s
more jigsawed than ever before.
still…
I feel her
crying soul
letting go — we’re
breaking free from
the chains we
formed around us.
we were made to
move.
Author’s Note: This piece began as a bit of micropoetry I shared as a note on my Substack. I wanted to play around with it and see what else I could produce. The photo above of me helped with this process. The thoughts bouncing about in my mind needed formulating — they needed a home. I think I have found one for them.
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
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!
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.
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!
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!
A Cornered Gurl 
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