Faithful Presence

Haiku Tuesday – Photo by Johannes Plenio

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

Time to Play

This is the box
strong and stable
where Composure lives.

These are the files
under lock and key
within the box
strong and stable
where Composure lives.

These are the feelings
powerful and true
secure in the files
under lock and key
within the box
strong and stable
where Composure lives.

This is Creative
strictly denied
knocking on the box
strong and stable
where Composure lives.

This is the story
layered and gleaming
built from the feelings
powerful and true
freed from the files
under lock and key
within the box
strong and stable
Creative blew up.

©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

Haiku Tuesday – Photo credit Nothing Ahead

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

Haiku Tuesday
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

Spine Poetry

Deeper

Haiku Tuesday
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
Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

Of kindling and ember

Haiku Tuesday

Just Enough

Rotem Tree photo credit Acts242Study
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

Truth

Moody

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

New High Score

With the breaking blip of light
the pinball machine in my mind
shoots out the first ball for the day

it zips, zings, pings
back and forth
being flung by the bumpers

ideas fling with flurry
scurry, chasing a high score
thoughts zip past trying to catch

that one idea that'll make the machine sing
the rattling rings the victory melody
when at last my mind snags

that story idea. 
Not the one I want to write,
the one I need to write.

©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved

Superpower

Haiku Tuesday

Let’s Sweep

Never mind the issue I had
We swept it under the rug

Never mind the issue you have
We'll sweep that under the rug, too

We'll just sweep
sweep, sweep
sweep

'Til the pile is high
Enough to trip over
Break our necks

Then we'll worry
Over those issues
Never more

(c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved

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

Being my muse is exhausting work
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

Careless Poets

Poetry
Elevates language
Careless poets intimidate,
Torturing meaning beyond comprehension

(c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved

Authentically Me

Haiku Tuesday

Stark

Ten Word Poetry

Soft Landing

Haiku Tuesday

Pause

System Check

Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels
Palms?
          Sweating
Knees?
          Wobbling
Stomach?
          Squeezing
Tongue?
          Thickening
Cheeks?
          Reddening
Mind?
          Racing
Words?
         
                                                     Fleeing
All systems are a-go
Speech Time

©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved

A Poet’s Practice

Poetry requires a nimble brain 
that can scale the synonyms
pivot on a dime to find the right word

contort the mind to mold metaphors
zig zag and shift phrasing
to layer sound that strengthens meaning

stiffness sets faster with each season
the will to write withers
daily disciplines dwindle

gotta downward dog by way back
feel the pull and the stretch
the pain will be worth it

(c) 2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved

Reliability

Haiku Tuesday

Tax Time

HAIKU TUESDAY

I Write Poetry

While world players position
their pawns for battle,
I write poetry.

While a desperate mother steals
her children to safer borders,
I write poetry.

While young women are bartered
their dignity for dollars,
I write poetry.

While I pray for peace and purpose,
mine out the voice I've been given,
I write poetry.

To shine light into dark places,
distill hope in the hurt,
I write poetry.

©2022 Sue Santiago all rights reserved
Photo by Kirill Lazarev from Pexels

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