Teresa Renee Bain

The Gift of Time

TERESA’S THOUGHTS: After years of feeling the pull to write more, I have finally rearranged my life in such a way to devote more hours to writing. This rearranging involved downsizing and rebelling against consumerism which demands I spend money to keep up and impress others. Oprah Winfrey starts her podcast, “Super Soul Conversations,” with…

Agates

I hope I get her agates when she dies. Maybe not her entire collection, for I don’t want to appear greedy. Even one amber agate to soften the excruciating loss of her. I imagine cradling it. Letting the essence of her wash over me. She would laugh, “There is no agate door to me once…

Sea Glass

Let me be like sea glass Shattered free from what once made me whole Let me be broken open without fear and fuss Adrift from all I once called mine. Trusting the ancient buoyancy of salt water Surrendering to waves and rocks grinding at my edges Let me lie hidden until serenely polished To keep…

Death Over Peppermint Tea

What would I be bold enough to tell death if I invited him to join me for a chat over a cup of warm peppermint tea?

Mother Mentors: Finding My Do-Over

“Perhaps part of me wished for a do-over; a second chance to reach that elusive balance between caring for my daughters and self care. Perhaps I wanted to know I wasn’t alone in my struggles.”

They Don’t Need Valentine’s Day

Years ago my husband and I were quite poor in money but abundantly rich in dreams, hope and love. That year we exchanged simple boxes of Cracker Jacks for Valentine’s Day. Of all the Valentine’s Days that have come and gone since then, it is the one I remember most fondly.

Microaggressions at the Market

Some may say, “Don’t worry about it. You were merely being friendly.” But the truth is I felt the need to protect him with my whiteness. It is uncomfortable to accept the harm my whiteness has done. I want to shirk my guilt by saying I shouldn’t be blamed for something I didn’t ask for. I mean really the tentacles of systemic racism were here long before I was born. I didn’t ask for the entitlements I’ve benefited from and I certainly haven’t been racist. Have I?

Love, Loss and Puppy Dogs

Annie was everything I didn’t want in a dog, yet everything I needed. But my story doesn’t start with Annie. It starts with Chocolate, a lab shepherd, who also happened to be the best dog ever. I found him from a flyer pinned to a bulletin board at the market with the word “Puppies!” in bold across the top. There was…

All The Reasons Why

I’ve been circling around writing for the past few months without actually writing; like a movie shark circling around a bloodied limb but never clamping down with its razor sharp teeth. But as with most things I try to avoid, eventually I come to a dead end and I am face to face with it. I wondered…

Love Letter to Nassau

Dear Nassau, Thank you for your Junkanoo drums vibrating deep into my bones. For Straw Market bartering, beaded braids, drunken tourists, and cruise ships that line your harbor. Does it bother you they rarely ask to see all of you? Thank you to people that work hard but laugh harder whose words flow in easy…

I Am Dry

A poem about finding the calm within oneself regardless of the weather swirling around you.

My White Skin

Each day I walk around in white skin enjoying the safety and privilege that entails. I did nothing to earn this, but I have benefited from it from the moment I was born. Those I love the deepest, my husband and daughters, are the most beautiful of black. One day my grandchildren will…