Follow Your Heart

I know
Everyone won’t like
My poetry,
What I paint,
The art I create,
Or what I have to say.

I know what I do
Isn’t everyone’s
Cup of tea.
And that doesn’t
Offend me.
If it’s not for you,
That’s totally
Okay.

I am also well aware
That I am not the best
At any one thing I do.
But I do MY best
Doing what I love,
And I feel immense
Gratitude
When I get to share
My passions
With each one of you.

Writing poetry
And creating art
Feel like
Breathing air for me.
Both – are necessary.
Both – I feel deeply.

Making art is
Chasing joy,
Imagination,
Color.
Magic,
And beauty.
It’s paint-
Celebrating,
And dancing,
It’s energy.
It’s transforming,
And healing.

Writing poetry
Is the art of sorting
And processing life.
Like solving
A jigsaw puzzle
Of emotions-
With rhythm
And sound
And your own
Heartbeat
In an open diary.
Whether it’s
Reflective,
Nostalgic,
Complex,
Painful,
Confusing,
And messy.
It’s a beautiful
Art of raw
Vulnerability
And humanity.

What fulfills me most
Is human connection.
And doing my best
To be a beacon
Of light-
And inspiration
To others.
Because those
Who inspire me,
Make this life
Feel more freeing,,
With more purpose
And meaning-
And there are many!

I want to
Remind you-
That you don’t
Have to be
THE very best-
In order to be
A bright light
For those around you.
Be brave enough
To chase your dreams
And help make
This world
More vibrant just
By offering
YOUR best
At whatever it is
You feel called to do.
Following your heart
Doesn’t have to be
Perfect.
It just needs you
To keep showing up,
And keep following through-
And I really hope you do.

-Tanielle Childers ©️ 4.12.26

One Day

We keep saying
Our turn will come…

One day.

We’ll get to have
More time together…

One day.

Our days of adventuring
And traveling and living…
They’re coming…

Some day.

Soon.

It feels like it’s been years
Of waiting…
Of hoping and praying

That one day
Is just around
The next bend.

But truth be told,
I don’t know
How many days
I even have left.

Afterall, there’s no cure
For the cancer
That stole, not one,
But both of my breasts…

I keep worrying
About what if …
Just around
The next bend,
I’m out of ‘one-days’

And it’s the beginning
Of my end.

I feel desperate
And impatient
For that one-day,
That some-day
Kind of living –
Because we’re all here
Together … now.

But we won’t all be ….

One day.

-Tanielle Childers ©️ 9.5.25

Grab Hold –

As much as we’d like
to think we control
our future and our fate…

We don’t decide
when or how we will go,
much less, our final date.

I have become
very hyper-aware
of the moments-
and all I’ve been given.

One silver lining
to cancer, I suppose-
is I’ve realized
I’d better get to livin’!

Life isn’t perfect,
nor every day sweet.
But each waking moment
is a gift, and a blessing.

Soak up the minutes,
love hard, and be present.
Hold onto faith through the good,
the bad and the messy.

Have patience,
be kind, and accountable,
Treat your neighbors
as you would yourself.

Live now, live bold,
and laugh often.
And never put your dreams
up on that shelf.

Follow your heart,
don’t give up,
and keep going.
Money doesn’t equal success.

Chase your dreams,
inspire, and encourage.
Lift others up,
and give them your best.

Fill up your heart,
and it will fuel your spirit.
Live in joy,
And share your gift.

Time is precious,
and priceless, and finite.
Grab hold-
this life goes quick!

-Tanielle Childers ©️ 2.25.22