Shirley Santiago

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lI'l5><; A Waterways Project

Publication

Shirley Santiago

Richard Spiegel Barbara Fisher codirectors Thomas Perry administrative assistant

Maxine Spokov.teacher

Bernie Kramer, poetry consultant

Colin Thomas, director James Baldwin Literacy Center

Stephen E. Phillips, superintendent Alternative High Schools & Programs

©I997 Ten Penny Players with funding support from

the NY State Council on the Arts

Best Friends to Stay

One minute you were here, The next minute gone,

I can't help thinking, Whether life really goes on,

But after a while I began to see, There are other people,

You don't belong to me,

But no distance can keep us apart, As long as you are here in my heart, And there is no doubt in my mind

to this very day,

That just you and me are best friends to stay.

2

Memories OfYOll

Memories of you flood back into my head,

As I think about your letter that yesterday I read, I remember all the fun we had,

Even though some times were sad,

We will forget each other never,

And be best friends forever.

Friendships

Friendship may be a simple thing, But lots of love it can bring, Things to share and talk about,

It's something you just can't do with out,

All your life friendships last through the years, You'll look back, remembering laughs

and happy times

Along wi th cries and sorry sighs, Friendships can never come apart,

Because they come straight from the heart, Friendships don't die, they continue to grow, So be sure to cherish the friendships you know.

3

Friendship Love

What started as a simple hello

Was the seed of friendship that would grow, Before it grew I knew it would be something

so special that only we'll see,

The light of the sun helps show the way, The gift of friendship that we share today, And so my friend what I say is true,

From now and forever I will always love you.

4

Through the Years

Through the tears, throughout the years, You've stood by my side,

Through all the fights and sleepless nights, You were there when I cried,

When I was depressed only you could've guessed What it was I needed to hear,

And when I couldn't explain how I felt

all this pain,

You made the confusion seem clear, You were always near,

We may both change,

Our lives are now rearranged, But friendship never ends,

So through the hard times look back on these rhymes

For we'll always be best friends into the end of time

5

The Best Memories

No memory is ever lost, a favorite song,

a quiet place, or even a special picture, To dream of memories, think of good times

with friends, or anything special, People are the best memories,

Ones you spent time with,

Ones you loved,

Or ones you just talked to,

Some memories make you laugh, Some make you cry,

But no memories at all will ever die.

6

The Little Things in Life

Too often we don't realize what we have until it's gone,

Too often we wait too late to say, "I'm sorry, I was wrong."

Sometimes it seems we hurt the ones we hold close to our hearts,

And we allow stupid things to tear our lives apart, Far too many times we let unimportant things

get in our mind,

And by then it's usually too late to see what made us blind,

So be sure that you let people know how much they mean to you,

Take the time to say the words before your time is through,

Be sure that you appreciate everything you've got, And be thankful for the little things in life

that mean a lot.

7

You've given me strength and support when I was feeling down,

But to this day I don't know how,

You showed me the light when I was trapped in that hole,

With no one to fight because I was abandoned all alone,

You gave me strength when I was weak, You showed me the world that was offered tome,

But there's one question that keeps repeating in my mind,

There's one question and that answer I'm willing . to find,

Who or what are you is what I've been wanting to know,

Please tell me, because I feel like my mind is about to blow.

8

A Few Words

Life is a blessing, that's what people say,

I don't agree on that, but hey! I'm here today, I suffer so much in this world,

That it has gotten to the point that I feel like I'm about to explode

The Fight

I remember when you hugged me,

And when you stood by my side that day,

I never thought we would have a fight, And end up this way,

We had fights before, but I never thought a stupid little fight

Was going to ruin the friendship we had

and that it was so nice,

I don't know if you're sorry for what happened, Because I sure am,

But you knew what buttons to press, You knew how to get me upset,

Now I see myself running away from you, Because we can't be together or sleep

in the same room.

9

The Crush

There you are across the room,

Those eyes, that face, I can't help but stare,

My knees weaken at the thought of your touch, My heart jumps because I like you so much, But shyness has brought me down so low,

And who I am, you may never know.

My Love Look into my eyes,

My love tell me what you see?

Do you see the one who longs to cry, "You were meant for me!"

Let me take your hand

My love I'll follow you anywhere

Time with you is magical, can't you see I care? Listen to my words my love,

The silent ones that pray, "Please don't ever

let me go, I love you more each day."

Someday I will be brave, my love, We will stand face to face

Then I'll sing these words aloud, And melt in your embrace.

10

I Had Enough

Love hurts, love scars and haunts any heart

that believes in the stars

Love is strong enough to take a lot of pain, Taking a lot of pain, that's wrong

I'm young, I know,

But even so I know I've been used, I learned a lot from you.

Love is like a flame, it burns you when it doesn't remain,

Some choose love cause it builds them

stronger and together I could tell you it isn't true,

It just makes a fool out of you, Love is a lie made to make you cry,

Love is a lie that sticks with you until you die, That's why I don't believe in your love,

Cause in my life I had enough.

II

The Main Thing of Love

To all who came before me, To all who felt behind,

Watch your step very carefully Cause love will make you blind,

N ever take a short cut, never run a mile, Always stay in between the pages in love files, Keep your distances from the star,

And try to stay away from the end,

And watch out for the saying,

"I just want to be your friend,"

For not a1llove is good,

And not all love is bad,

Just hope you'll never look back On the love you once had.

I2

When We Kissed

I didn't know how you felt about me, And I didn't know how I felt about you, There we were keeping warm,

Our bodies together, our hands holding, But still I didn't have a clue,

When you turned and kissed me,

I couldn't resist,

So I went ahead and returned your kiss.

13

Let Me Feel Loved

Why do you feel you have to treat me bad,

Why do you feel you have to treat me like a dog, I have feelings you know, I have a heart,

I don't like to be tom apart,

I don't want you to kill it,

I just want you to feel it,

I want you to hold it and squeeze it, not to crush it and freeze it,

So why feel cool when I make you feel

nice and warm,

Love me, love me like you never did before, Let me feel love, let me feel more,

But please don't make me feel like your love just left right out the door.

Learning the Hard Way

You gave me a vision of what life is to be,

You showed me thatworld that I was supposed to see, You promised me love, you said you'd always be there, To lend me a hand, to show me you cared,

We walked through the days, never rushing our steps, We cherished our times, for the time was well spent, Then suddenly one day, you weren't by my side,

You were gone forever, but not a tear did I cry,

I rushed through the days by myself, all alone, Cherished our memories, how my anger had grown, Then one day I thought of you and a sigh of anger

I've seen,

'Cause everything you've done to me, the long vision

went by,

It broke my heart and I began to cry, I cried

For all the empty dreams that people have these days, I cried because I had a dream, but let it slip away,

I cried 'cause a love like ours was always meant to last, Throughout eternity, the present, the future

and the past,

And although I wouldn't have changed it, In my heart I know it's true,

A lesson I learned the hard way was the price of loving you.

IS

Innocent Girl

I was so lost in this big world,

Cause nobody saw me, as if I was some kind of ghost,

I felt lonely and abandoned, and deep inside I felt over crowded,

Then one day you came and swept me off my feet,

N ext thing you knew you blinded me so much

that I could not see, You made me cry and suffer, But I didn't care,

Because at least I had someone who wasn't really there,

At least I had someone to give my love to But someone who didn't appreciate me like

you were supposed to Finally I opened up my eyes,

But deep inside I was still kind of blind,

I didn't think I could make it without you alive, So I carried on with the pain that became

a part of my depressing life

16

Until I Stop Loving You

I know I did some wrongs in the past,

But my love is too strong to fade away so fast, Why can't you and I be together forever like

you promised it would be?

You next to me, hugging and kissing me I would like to see,

I always wish upon a star for you to be here

in my arms,

My wish hasn't come true,

I don't understand why, because I'm so in love with you

My wish may never come true,

But I won't stop until I stop loving you.

17

I Wonder

I wonder if he thinks of me when it's quiet and he's alone,

I wonder if he remembers my number when he looks at the phone,

I wonder if it hurts him inside when they play our song,

I wonder if he screams for me when a couple strolls along,

I wonder if the memories keep him awake through the night,

I wonder if he wishes we never had those fights, I wonder, and I question

until all my questions run out,

But most of ali, I wonder if he wonders what I'm wondering about.

18

The Night I. Met You

I'm remembering the night I met you, Even then I didn't have a clue

You gave me a friendly smile,

Then sat and talked to me for a while,

I could tell you were one of the nice guys, When I looked into your little dark brown eyes, And now I am beginning to see

That you're far more than I thought you'd be You've given me friendship, respect, and love, Sometimes I'm convinced you were sent from above, I wasn't looking for love it's true,

But love is what I found the night I met you:

Doesn't Anybody Care?

Graffiti on our walls, smog in our air What's happening to our world?

Doesn't anybody care? Destruction all around us, Pollution in our souls. Open up your ears, and

Listen to the earth please! Can't we stop ourselves? Must we ruin what God gave?

Why do we take for granted, what

Mother Nature made? Think about what I've said, So that planet Earth can live again.

I.

Stop the Killing

Why must they do it? \Vhy must they die?

They're killing for no reason,

And that we can't deny

Someone wears gang colors,

And for that they get shot

Their life is ended over a piece

of clothing that they bought, Children are afraid to go outside now

And then for they know there's a chance they Won't return back home,

Again people are dying for no reason,

So, we should all be willing to work together in our efforts to stop it,

"Stop the killing!"

20

In Search of a Song Volume 321

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