But still, you feel small
Your petals are minuscule
Your ideas of self worth are comparative
​
​The rain comes again in the fall
But you didn’t know you were still
Growing beneath it all
The roots grow stronger with time
So in the summer
When the sunlight hit you
You broke open
And it is scary,
To break
But that is the art of blooming.
Before a flower blooms
It must endure the fiercest rains
In the darkest hour
While still beneath the dirt

But then, there in the soil
There is a crack
Where the sun shines through

And so you begin to follow that light
You emerge on the other side
But still, you feel small
Your petals are minuscule
Your ideas of self worth are comparative
The rain comes again in the fall
But you didn’t know you were still
Growing beneath it all
The roots grow stronger with time
So in the summer
When the sunlight hit you
You broke open
And it is scary,
To break
But that is the art of blooming.
​Sarah Wallace

Small worlds unite when people meet
and share their stories.
We all have our own story to share.
We rejoice when we find a common theme
and feel connected by the invisible tread
of our common humanity.
We listen with the intent to learn and understand
when we hear a story different from ours.
We want to know more detail,
more understanding in areas we can grow.
Small worlds unite when people meet
and share their stories
and when many small worlds unite
our small world grows and grows and grows
until it becomes a unified universe.
 
​Teri Petz

​May all of us who feel
the deep of life, who sense
the mystery just beyond our grasp,
who love the words with which
we ponder, who bear the urge
to paint in words the visions, 
inklings, intimations that
come to us, come through us,
bidden or not--

May we be blessed.

May our lives be blessed,
our homes, our hearts, our hands;
our pens and pencils, blank bits
of paper, our waiting keyboard--
May all our tools be blessed.

May we be blessed with beauty.
May we be blessed with light, both 
within and without, blessed with 
eyes to see and ears to hear,
both within and without, 
hearts to know, and a safe place to be.

May we who gather here to share
the poets’ words, to share our words,
our longings, our deepest fears, 
may our gathering be blessed.

May all be richly blessed
who have a poet’s soul
and pour it into words for
this world’s bettering.
​
Jill Ebsworth 10 Nov 2020

I wanted to thank you, and you,
and you and all of you
for sharing your poetry with me.
Sharing the sadness, the joy,
the frustrations, the humour,
the beauty, sharing your thoughts,
your hopes, your dreams. 
Every time you share your poems
you share more than words with me.
You share a sacred piece of you.
And as we share, we relate,
we connect and we bond with each other
in a deep meaningful way.
Because when I see you
for who you truly are
I appreciate you more
than if we had a superficial
talk about the weather.
Thank you for sharing the sadness,
the joy, the frustrations, the humour,
the beauty, sharing your thoughts,
your hopes and your dreams. 
Thank you for sharing your poetry with me.

​Teri Petz

1. The Closet Poet Series

The Closet Poet series explores the things we do when we are unsure of ourselves, when we consider ourselves amateur poets. It looks at what beginner poets often do. Some of them might act as a mirror as you see yourself in them, giving you a few funny, "aha "moments. When you read them, you may discover things that you did in the beginning phase of your poetry career. Our goal is to let you know it is perfectly OK and normal to not want to put it all out there in the beginning.
 
However we want to encourage you to come out of the so called "poetry" closet and share your work. You may want to start in baby steps and only share it with people you trust and once you feel more comfortable you can share your poems publicly. There are so many ways and places to share your poems when you are ready. Once you learned a few poetry hacks and feel more experienced we would be happy to connect you with the wonderful world of poetry communities.
 
Keep going, keep writing!  We were all beginners once.


2. The Good Poet Series

The Good Poet series dives into what it takes to be a good poet. When you no longer think of yourself as a beginner poet, when you have gained some confidence in your writing, you can relate to the posts. Heck, you can even write some for us!  The truth is, there is no one way to write poetry, there are many ways. There is no one characteristic or quality it takes to be a good poet. Again, it takes many. The most important thing is to believe in yourself and your abilities. The best way to do that is by reading other people's poems and to surround yourself with a supportive community. One good tip is to read your poem aloud.  Listen to the rhythm, listen for any clunky parts.

​Click here for Tell It Like It Is Poets on Instagram

(Prompted by a question
Mary Reynolds Thompson
asked on her website. She asked readers 
​what poetry meant to them.)
 
Poetry to me is the sacred language
of the heart and soul.
It is the raw, uncensored, deep thoughts,
experiences, senses,
that come from my inner core.
It is the magical part of the mundane.
It is the description of the things
not everyone sees and talks about.
It is the connection to God, the universe,
the moon and stars and everything in between.
It is the flowers of the spoken world
collected into a colourful bouquet.
It is the flow of consciousness
sometimes emerging from the unconscious,
revealing the unknown. 
It is the life force pouring out
and transforming into words
that are an invitation to connect us
in a meaningful, sacred and supportive way. 

Teri Petz

Cat Charissage is a a poet, writer, and visual artist, a wonderer of the cosmos and wanderer of the psyche.  She hosts art-based groups in many areas and uses poetry and art for self exploration as well as a therapeutic tool. Cat is a contemplative educator, artist, and counsellor in the depth dimensions of life, in creative and spiritual growth, including recovery from trauma.  A mentor in self-directed education, she has degrees in theology and education, and training in trauma recovery. 

​She is the co-producer of Owl Poetry, a series of Open Mic Poetry Videos for the Community Channel of Shaw Spotlight. 

Cat's Website
Cat Charissage on Facebook
Cat Charissage on Instagram
Lethbridge Poetry on Facebook
Owl Poetry Videos on Youtube

Teri Petz wears many hats and has even more interests. She was fascinated by poetry since she was a little girl, before she could read. In school she realized that writing was easy for her and she had a natural flow when she wrote. Being a nature child (woman) she likes to take long walks and explore the rivers, lakes, mountains and the Canadian Prairies. She is often inspired to write and in those moments and she says the Muse has bitten her.
 
In 2020 Teri self published her poetry book, “A Piece Of Her Heart”. The book is available on Kobo and Amazon. 
 
She participates in a small women’s poetry group led by Cat Charissage monthly. Teri organizes and is the MC of Owl Poetry, an open mic event held monthly at the Owl Acoustic Lounge in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

She is the co-producer of Owl Poetry, a series of Open Mic Poetry Videos for the Community Channel of Shaw Spotlight. ​
 
She is involved in Photography, Videography and creates home décor products to keep the creative juices flowing and loves to write poetry. She considers poetry to be the language of the heart.

Teri's Website, Works Of Beauty
Teri Petz on Facebook
Teri Petz on Instagram
Lethbridge Poetry on Facebook
Owl Poetry Videos on Youtube