Terez Nagy was born into a richly diverse dual-heritage family. Her father, Hungarian with agricultural roots and deeply entrenched in a politically oppressed background; her mother, English, well educated, and with an eclectic range of interests beyond the range of society’s working class norms.
She also has a socialist grandparent, and the whole family place a high value on freedom, self expression and the courage to overcome adversity. A childhood in which storytelling and imagination were a part of daily life, she was brought up to love poetry from an early age.
Terez writes from her heart and is not afraid to engage with all her emotions in the pursuit of authenticity in her self expression. She was a key figure in the Lippy Women movement of Read to Write poetry group and has showcased her work at various venues.
Terez writes from her heart and is not afraid to engage all her emotions in the pursuit of authenticity in her self expression.
Her work has appeared in various anthologies, including My Small World by United Press and those supported by the community arts Right up our Street project.
Poems
Seasons
Spring, the season of eternal youth When Mum and Dad would last forever And every Christmas lunch was taken for granted Caring not of future years You were eternal And who cared if we never called or rang There were other days for that Summer came with puberty and dreams Family life and sea side jaunts Make up and pop idol posters adorned my walls Late nights combined with sleepless nights of worry And you, Mum and Dad would last forever Autumn arrived and family grew You had aged and I was mature University brought a second wind Days out, holidays abroad You weren't so bad after all And you, Mum and Dad would last forever Winter with her sharp jagged breath arrived Bringing with her a harsh chill A not so distant reminder That one day but not right now And Mum and Dad, cracks appeared You were here but there was also a knowing, An awakening A harsh blow, a winter wind Preparation, slow but sure Unsettled now, a realisation That you, Mum and Dad won't last forever Hanging on, praying for more time Regrets wasted Grateful, pretending, wishing spring would come again
(Originally Published as "Seasons - Life" In the Mansion House Anthology - Read 2 Write 2023.) <<<
Into Stillness
Who will I be when I soften and surrender through the layers? Deeper and deeper, Passing through grief, trauma, loss Into stillness Dropping down through history Allowing my body to be Awakening to all sensations Fierce, slow, fast heartbeat Drifting below gravity Deep into the roots of magnetic earth Sinking, unwinding The coils of regret gone forever Making sense of nothingness, Stillness oozing from every pore Where will I go when I return to where I have been before? The familiarity of the womb Cushioned in the embryonic sac Naive, gullible, untouched, unscathed, innocent Reborn to the wonders of life fresh Ambivalent Breathing deeply, slowly, mind empty Reconnecting with the kernel of my life The inner knowing the outer emptiness Deeper and deeper into stillness A sigh a breath Coming home to me
(Originally published as “Stillness in the Pandemic" in "View from a Locked Down Land" - Read 2 Write 2020.) <<<
Crystals
Tiger’s eye, to ground me Rose quartz to heal my broken heart Amethyst, the crystal of all crystals Haematite for my blood. Yellow orange for the fire in my belly igniting the passion in my sacral zone Metatron, the ancient one Hurrying at speed getting things done. Rhodonite, make it pure full of allure The eloquence of moon stone Citrine, the lemon appeal Crystals sighing, breathing, blowing out air Living things, energising, cleansing Purifying the soul. I hold mine close, Pulsating It speaks of harmonisation And Balance Calming the mood Opening the mind Communicating clearly Stimulating the third eye My intuition is strong Light my incense sticks Smudging Or vibrating tuning bells Gently cleansing and energising friends. They came from earth no stranger be Look at my collection A true essence and reflection of me. <<<
Reflection
I’m damned if you will ever break my heart I’m damned if you will ever tear it apart Stand in your corner and be a man Stand up and fight your battle as best you can. I remember the day you broke my heart The day you tore it apart You stood in your corner. You was that man You fought your battle the best that you can. Don’t come over here full of shit And bring me down into your pit Raise me up like the woman I am Stand in your corner and be that man You came over here full of shit Bringing me down into your pit You rose me up like the woman I am You stood in your corner. You was that man Be the man that holds me high That looks for me in clouds in the sky That holds my hand and catches my tears That holds my heart and melts my fears Stand in your corner and be that man Be the best you can. The man that held me high Who looked for me like clouds in the sky That held my hand, caught my tears, melted my fears You were that man, doing the best you can. Be the man that supports me Not the man that whimsically aborts me Be as honest as you can, But be that man. The man that supports me, not aborts me, Being as honest as you can You were that man. <<<
A Timely Date
They met on the corner at ten to nine. Surprisingly enough she was on time. Pecks on each cheek, they were off to fine dine The evening went well Coffee at mine? <<<
Menopause Rant
Because I no longer bleed Nor full of greed Don’t throw me on the skip Or shame me as my moods dip Or corner me with the guilt trip Cos I’m no longer cost effective for the media hit. I don’t cause a stir with my rounded hip And cant be arsed to diet Cos my thong no longer fits Yes I indulge, have the menopause bulge And you no longer look into my eyes Indeed no longer manipulated by your corporate lies I don’t use tampons as they are no longer fit for purpose My use is akin to surplus I don’t shave my hairs they grow long and free As a symbol of freedom and humility When I look in the mirror who do I see? A different version of me So I run to my GP and start HRT What the hell is wrong with me? So if I sweat like a pig and fart like a hog Meow like a cat and growl like a dog Its not the side effects of neglect Its down to me, yes my responsibility So sisters seek awareness and gain liberty Grounding my strength in humility. <<<
(Dedicated to all the Sisters)
Yep. Enjoyed these. Seasons I relate to easily, as I had begun thinking I'd lose my parents whenthey were sixty-somethings. They were both nonegenarians (and I'd given up whittling) by the time it was time. There's things that others have done and I wish I had - but there's so much we did do, when I look back, that were out of the ordinary. Thank you for reminding me of that. I have a friend who's a scientist, calm and considered. Yet she's the one rendering convincing arguments about crystals. Well done getting these out there. I've found substack a bit weird but I am gathering followers, not just from Faceache. In Reflection: Verse 2, line 3, is the 'was' deliberate? I don't want slamming as grammar police:)