Sue Santiago
Children's Writer & Sometimes Poet
Keep it simple
If I just take this
Stone by stone and bird by bird
Word by word to poem by poem
A beautiful mess of something
Like a story will form
(C) 2024 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Shift
one day
it will be easier
hard will go
down like water
one day
Be home before dark
One hour to play
Before sunset and homework
Hello, December
(c)2023 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Lesson from my Pup #1127
She wags her tail
While drinking down water
The simple joy
Of self-care
Best Served Cold
Dishes are washed Leftovers are stored Dinner's digesting It's time for war! The pile of games Is sizeable indeed. Who will be victor? Who will concede? Apples to Apples, Dominoes and Clue, Boxers and Briefs, Then Trivia Pursuit The oldest and youngest Move on to things other The rest battle on To outlast one another Through wit and deduction And strategies played Around the table's Where memories are made. ©2023 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Thanksgiving
Baby giggles Puppy wiggles The marvel of a tree Warm sunsets Days of rest My love waiting for me Coffee brewing Ideas stewing Stories read by flashlight Country drives Feeling alive Confiding thoughts at night My boy turned man Songs played by hand To know there's more to know My girl determined Insightful young woman Watching their friendship grow Space to stretch A home, heart-kept A friend who I can call Faith secure 'cause love endures For God, who's through it all ©2023 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Rest
Rest. Quiet stillness.
Draw in. Breathe. Then give again.
Tree, teach me to rest.
(C)2023 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
I’m Possible
It's okay to go my way Backwards, sideways, circles It's all movement From a distance, It's the beautiful art of Yes ©2023 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Crumb
This crumb
Of hope
Consume it
Feed it
Multiply it
Progress?
I haven't written this badly
In a long time
But in a long time
I haven't written at all
Planned Ahead
I'm pretty sure This daffodil was planted Just for me By an angel A year or two ago Who tickled the tum of a gull Or blue jay who dropped the seed So today I could see this sign Of spring Of hope (C)2023 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Catching My Breath
when Hard takes a new face digs in digs deep claws at my roots chisels my foundation days to weeks to months, to clench to grind to gnash, to tears to cries to wails to surrender. It's different than to give up ©2023 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Faithful Presence
Seriously, Sisters
Some of these mantras today Shake my head Curl my toes Living my best life Can I just take that pressure off? Most days are hard enough Loving my people Caring for my responsibilities Pursuing my passion My best? That's a high standard I cannot maintain Climbing to the peak. There's no air up there. Don't look to me to Make my past self jealous. I want to see her excited about, inspired by, proud of her future. The Do-Be-Do-Be-Do days are done Lay down that finish line I'm going to take my time ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Secrets
The secret to contentment
is gratitude
The secret to gratitude
is perspective
The secret to perspective
is selflessness
The secret to selflessness
is love
The secret to love
is selflessness
The secret to selflessness
is perspective
The secret to perspective
is gratitude
The secret to gratitude
is contentment
©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Where we meet
You are beautiful
In the richness of your rhythm
In the liveliness of your language
In the vibrance of your voice
In the strength of your stature
But we are strongest
In our overlap
I am beautiful
In my firmness of faith
In my unwillingness to walk away
In my collected quiet
In my surprising silliness
But we are strongest
In our overlap
In the seam
Of the silk that is you
Of the linen that is me
Threads of compassion,
Hope, love
Forgiveness
Bind unbreakable
In our overlap
Where we are strongest
(C) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
A Worthy Sacrifice
We pour our heart Into our creation To get trampled, criticized Rejected Breaking our spirit To not pour our heart Perhaps protects our underpinning -- By not bearing the creator's image By not carrying the creator's soul The creation suffers To not push hard enough To not dig deep enough Creates a counterfeit, Second-rate beauty Unworthy Create. Unguarded. ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Hope Rising
Wisp
tall in stature, small in presence folding, bending, curling, tucking shrinking smaller still seeking security of shadow retreating into recesses until a wisp of self remains dissipated by a blown kiss (c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
One in 8 Billion
little me in this great big world grateful to have a voice in the mind, in the heart of the most important people in this great big world to me (c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Wispy Reminder
There's a wispy sheet of cloud Just out of arm's reach It slides to the left It slides to the right It turns counterclockwise Making the world roll sideways When it hovers above Like a shifting xray I feel seen beyond My jeans and t-shirt To the truth of me In all my shades of gray ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Worth It
even if eternity is only a moment of absolute, pure love that is enough that is everything ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Scents & Sensuality
Photo by Lada Rezantseva
Delayed Response
On windy days
my words ride and swirl
dip then climb
before reaching my child's ears
in her reading tree
(c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Momma Used to Say
You have two ears and one mouth use them in that proportion When you're pointing your finger at someone else, You're pointing three fingers back at yourself Never show up empty handed Mind your manners, Remember whose you are. It's good to have lots of friends but keep your own mind I cut your sandwich in half so you can share with a friend without People can't hear you if you're yelling at them Everything's okay when you obey Did we forget? (c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
High Price of Hypocrisy
One side says, Protect the embryo And the rights of the shooter One side says, All are welcome, But not white Christians One side says, Ban books Keeps guns One side says, Safeguard stories Censor people One side says Love others, unless . . . Don't judge, except . . . When we lose The United in these States of America The outcome is inevitable Can there be room For passion and peace Uniqueness and unity? Without the common ground, Strongest in our overlap, Divided we will be, deservedly fallen It's a choice. ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Keep It Simple
Deeper
Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi
The Rain Will Come
Perhaps it's the war
with the death of a son
with the sacrifice of a father
Perhaps it's the year of query
of beautiful story without a reader
of skillfully written, but --
Perhaps it's months of illness
and having little to control
and having less to try
This creative desert only
deepens my thirst
drives my next step
©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Of kindling and ember
Just Enough
In the shade of the Rotem I catch my breath rest, relief, recover just enough to move forward, journey on trust the story, remember hurt, healing, hope then offer shade to another on this rugged route to give just enough care, comfort, encouragement to carry on (c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Seedtime Hope
steady now the birds collect twigs the trees bud with promise the grass stands vibrant the wind arrives gentle and new hang tight ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Helping Hand
when i'm stuck lost in my world wandering along twisting spaghetti brain lanes i get caught in a loop need You to straighten my thinking, keeping me moving forward, teaching me to roll through a stumble to deliver some truth ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Finding Inspiration
we writers sometimes poets players of words collectors of ideas pluck from the muck pull pearls string bracelets to seduce the muse ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Confident Woman
She's every bit
the confident woman
Her clothes are pressed
hair styled, shoulders back, chin up
She has her purpose
mission-minded, laser-focused, prepared
She's every bit
the confident woman
Across the table sits
her mirror image in younger form
They sip their coffee,
click keyboards, shuffle papers, tackle to-dos
She's every bit
the confident woman
She instructs her daughter
in ways of life, of work, of world
Maybe a little jealous
her daughter's insight, strength, sense-of-self
Becoming every bit
the confident woman
her mother only feigns
(C)2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Twelve Tiny Treasures
These twelve words written on my heart constant companions my hope and breath my anchor and wind Remember, I am with you Always Until the very end of age (c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Dandelion Seeds
a stream of consciousness connects trouble to trouble to trouble gun violence domestic violence no solutions nonsense health declining, covid rising civil unrest pivots like a windsock Ukraine. Oh, Ukraine. my heart weeps my anger boils but my hands feel confined in this spectator's straight jacket Take a breath, oh my soul Sprinkle random acts of kindness Into my space in this world Let them catch a zephyr Let them spread like dandelion seeds (c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Such a Brat
This bossy story pricks and pesters. It's such a brat. Doesn't care I'm uncertain. Inspiration pokes and prods 'til I pay it some attention, like my pup with her ball incessant 'til I play with her What if I ignore it? Ha! The muse will ruin my dreams to wake me, to make me write (c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Superpower
These Hands
There's a pair of older hands Clacking away on my keyboard Crinkles and creases, mercilessly dry Where did their prowess go? Thicker now, age spots on the horizon Beyond the power they once yielded They've realized their true strength Being lent to another in love, regardless of like ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Little Muse
Beneath my desk Content to rest at my feet My faithful pup Inspires the writer in me ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Rain Dance
Singing In Springtime
It sounds like I am on hold. Or the ring of a dying phone. The cell in my hand is silent. My laptop before me behaves. Beyond the window a blue bird, a new-to-me type, plays statue in the budding young maple. It hops and warbles a song unfamiliar. Perhaps it's eaten a robotic worm. Maybe I'm swallowed by technology. It's been too long since spring last. Time to fine tune these ears of mine. ©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
My protectors sure wore themselves out and need some sleep. Maybe I should pop some popcorn. hehehe
Sue Santiago 