Worthy

Inspired by Reena’s Xploration Challenge #286 & Moonwashed Weekly Prompt – Deserving

sunshine interrupts rain
and the world gets brighter

accidents threaten well-being
teaching us valuable lessons

friendships go off track
allowing us to find the right ones

the cycles of nature
bring us beauty and havoc

lovers once committed
shed us for new horizons

life is a basket of variables
deserving of discernment

next steps are crucial
our existence depends on it

otherwise, what is the alternative?

Tremaine L. Loadholt

Pressure  

she sits on the sea’s floor
shaped by the world
above it–changed forever.
the workers of ancient
tongues sift through
her words, chanting
their dismissals.
the pressure from centuries
ago labels her again
and again.
is this the chosen path
home or not?

The Brave Girl Knoweth Not  

enchanting winds sway
over the clandestine clouds
she speaks of hard times
the chosen few laugh
behind her back, valleys shift
to the hills of life
brave girl knoweth not
of love or impending storms
she prepares for pain

Good Dog  

good dog sleeps alone
savors the sunlight of morn
drifting into dreams
human loves her more each day
Mother Nature gifts them peace

Winter Knocks But Isn’t Allowed Entry

Temperatures tank throughout
the day, mimicking winter blues.
We shuffle along in life, wrapping
our bodies in extra clothing.
We are layered for bitter chill,
the calm of every storm spits
in our direction–we war
our way through the hell of it.
A long walk lends frostbite to
the limbs–we shake ourselves
into warmth–turn the thermostat
up, shoot fire into the bones.
Winter knocks. It is premature.
We howl at its presence–fangs
sharp enough to slice through
hardened flesh.
We are not ready. We are not ready.

Forgotten Words

We aren’t the warriors
of the past. We have
different methods–different ways,
but we still work words
the way the ancestors intended.
What we say can
be misconstrued, but what we
mean, never is.

~~~

A North Carolina writer, Tremaine L. Loadholt has been published in literary journals, anthologies, and magazines, and published three poetry books: Pinwheels and Hula Hoops, Dusting for Fingerprints, and A New Kind of Down. Her artistic expressions are at A Cornered Gurl and Medium. This is Tremaine’s first feature on The Short of It.

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A Portal Beckoning

if only getting to the other side
was as easy as stepping over the jagged rocks
into a picture frame of natural perfection

happiness and grace seem utterly within reach
fostering desires of leaving behind what’s pulling us back
with concerted efforts we move ourselves forward to a better place

while our surroundings may be deceiving us
intention towards fulfillment is not
being travellers towards our destiny brings the fortune we are deserving of