The Poet: 50 Years of Life

By Joann Lacey Santiago

With poetry I began the game
Fifty years of life
I have earned the name
Now that you have come to know it
Call me Joann, or call me “The Poet”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781543498455

Joann Lacey Santiago

Dr. Joann Lacey Santiago has a passion for writing and teaching. She is Co-Founder of Power through Christ Ministries with her husband. She has taught at the International School of the Prophets and at Shekinah Glory Bible Institute. She carries an apostolic and prophetic teaching ability and desires for the body of Christ to be unified and moving in the power of God.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by Joann Lacey Santiago.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/20/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

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Contents

The Poet

RANDOM THINGS PEOPLE AND LIFE

Fun

Jokes

Shoes

Fast Buck

Eyes

Hair

Bird Nests

Candy

Stars

Memories

Children

Summer Day

More Than Bread

Rules

No Expectations

Advice

Thoughts Of A Cherry Tree At Noon

Diary November 1³Th 1980

Home

Traveler

Baby

Mothers

My Pen

It Seems To Have A Will

Muscle Men

A Man Less World

Children

Be Your Own Best Friend

Qualities Of A Man

Mothers Love

Brother Is In The Army

Special

She Created A Home

Growing Up

Is This A Friend

Teenagers

True Friends

Communications

The Mother And Her Children

My Life Is At Stake

Loved For Being Me

I Am

Just Me

My Wish

Why I Exist

Think About It

Speed Of Time

SCHOOL LIFE

Exam

West K. Jr. High

The Cool School

The Way We Feel

Success

West Side Senior High

School Out

Decision

The Big Change

Destiny

Night Class Blues

End Of Year 1982

Education

Tomorrow

Thoughts Of A Black Woman In An All-White College

Remember

Cold Facts

Remember Me

THE HOOD

Newark’s The Best

The Rope

Street Talk

Be Nice

There Is No Stopping Us Now Part 1

There Is No Stopping Us Now Part 2

Foot

A 16 Year Old Thoughts On Crime In 1980

Sad

No Vacation

The Silly Man

No Such Word

Who Will Say?

A Chained Slave

Poor Dark Soul

The Split

When The PSEG Man Visited

Change Places

To The Black Student Community Union

Abortion Or Kill?

The Will

Just Chilling

Rubber Band

Black

So, They Say

Boys

Prayer Of A Scared Teen

Sorrows Of The World

A Hurt Child

The First Black President 1979-1980

What Is Black History

Love Is Missed

Egyptian Queen

Warning Explicit Language Ahead In A Rap Poem!

Fighting Against The Past

10 Black Demandments

A Late Night Thought

This Lost World

Trick Dealers

Thank You, My Black People,

EMOTIONS

Negative Travelers Pain

Mistrust

The Game

Small Pathway

Hate

Sneaky Love

Age

Holding Hands

Hate

Hood Talk

Lies

Insecurity Is

Hurt

Porcelain Tears

Rain Moods

Working Through Problems

Love Seed

Comparison

Lonely At Heart

Those Monday Blues

Emotions

Tears

What A Day

Worries

I Am Afraid

Things To Ponder

Feelings

Separated Love

My Only True Love

Quarrels

Hurt

The Conscious Mind

Incurable Bug

Music Of Life

My Expectation

The Connection

Song Of A Break Up And Make Up

I Will Drop My Tears Now

Untouchable Memories

Please Ask First

A Mothers’ Desolate Thoughts

An Opera

I Write The Songs

Shy Girl

In-Between

Phony Friend

The Three Basic Elements

The Bar

Love Lamp

A Death Blow

I Have Learned To Hate

You Acted Like A Child

THOUGHTS

Thoughts

Sensible

Minds

Foot In Mouth

Today My Mind Cried

Dreams

Stress

Who I Am?

The Who

What Am I

To Be

To Be Or Not

Fear

Unsure

Who Is It?

What I Am

Thoughts Of The Poet

LOVE

Nothing Can Change My Love For You

Beautiful Love Sonnet

How We Met

Looking In The Mirror Of Truth

Cupid Gives Love

Love Sonnet

Between You And Me

Birthday Love

Marriage

To Think Of Eternal Love

A Lone Traveler In Search

Real Love

What Am I

Love

Going And Coming

Three Comparisons Of Love

Old Flames

Shared Love

To My Love

I Know Love

My Thoughts On Love

Fire

Free

Take Over My Mind [Song]

To Good To Be True

It Was A Little Fun While I Was Able To Sing

Brothers And Sisters War I

Everlasting Love

You Are

Love Beginnings

Love Letters

A Thing On Marriage

My Special Love

Just When Things Get Rough, I Remember

A Diary Page

Love Is

The Beginning Of Love

Was It Predestination

Crazy Love

My Love This Poem Is For You

My Thoughts Again

For The Love Of You

What Will I Have To Do

A Song For You

The Oath

A Song For My Friend

Love Is A Fantasy

I Want You Back

Thinking Forward

Love Is This

The Beauty Of Love

A Piece Of My Mind

A Dare

Warnings

Where Do We Stand

Romantic Thoughts

An Everyday Thing

Woman Expressing Her Thoughts About Her Man

I Love You

Why Worry

True Love Found

A New Lesson

Looking Back And Beyond

Love With No End

HURT LOVE

Unwanted Love

Thoughts Through The Night

Men

You Have Did Me Wrong

I Cannot Forget

Neglected Love

My Ex-Love

Immature Love Hurt

All Things Change

Not Today

I Still Love You

Interlude Of A Love Story

Jealousy

A Thinking Woman

Is It Love

Evil Binges

False Love

I Thought It Was Predestination

Break Up Only To Make Up

A Past Experience

Waiting For Love

Hurt Love

Severely Missed Love

To A Flirter I Know

The Evaluation Of A Man

In Service

Stepping On Out A Song

It Is All Over

He Is Gone

A Woman Needs Love

The Last Phase

My Part

He Could Not

After Divorce

Son-Of-A-Gun

Ice Breaker

Silent Storm

What He Did

LONELINESS

Couldn’t You Have Waited Another Day

Christmas Past 1989

The Feeling Of Loneliness

Alone

Is It All Worthwhile

I Miss You

The Perfect Man

The Ups And Downs Of Life

Travelers Pain

Problem Blues

Loneliness

DEATH

At Death’s Door

Life Without You

Life Goes On

Drugs Pay

Here Today But Gone Tomorrow

Don’t Make This Mistake

Coma

The Graveyard

Dead

Death

The Lifeless Sea

Funeral

Must Do Or Die

Leaving My Troubles

I Will Win

TIME

In Time

Birthdays

The Cost

Birthday Thoughts For You

Life In Time

A Time To Think

Time-Clock

Time

IN GOD

All For Me

Gospel Rap

Jesus

Don’t Worry

Life Can Be Hard

God Is… (A Rap Song)

No Light

Trust In God

I Must Move On

Life

Precious Spirit

Honesty

The Coming Of Jesus

Sorry

Who Jesus Is To Me

God Cries (A Thought In 1980)

God Will Never Change

Judgment Day

I Am The Poem Of God

Almighty God

The Two Roads

What Is Forgiving?

Sunshine And Rain

My World My Love

Time To Apologize

To Wait To Late

What Would I Be Without The Lord (A Song)

Clergy Appreciation

MEMORIALS

The Gift Of Mother Cruz (Trust)

The Gift Of Mr. Crawford (Protection)

The Gift Of Jackie (Kindness)

The Gift Of Aunt Mae (Love)

Appendix

I would like to dedicate this book to my family especially my brother Theodore who would listen to every poem I wrote from my childhood up and encourage me to do more. Those were the good old days! Thanks again to my mom Joyce, I LOVE YOU MOMMY!

Thanks to my dad, Tazewell for your love and support. I am so glad you are my father and that you love me no matter what. I will forever love you and cherish all the time we have together. Keep your head up and your heart open. God allowed you to be my dad and I have learned so much. Thank You.

Thank you to my second family of 4 brothers and 1 sister, who all have taken me in and treated me with so much kindness and love beyond that of just another in-law but truly as a sister. I love you all so much. Thank you, Antonio, my hubby man.

As always, I thank God who has kept me, and his promises to me. He continues to allow me to attain the desires of my heart, and I am grateful.

Writing has been my avenue of escape for many years. It has bought me joy, relief, strength, freedom, hope, and the will to keep going. I learned to accept the things that cannot change, and release unto God things only he can change. He made a way of escape for me from the things that challenged my sanity. He gave me the power to choose freedom both mentally and spiritually. It is the love of God that brings me to this place of hope and change. I am grateful.

This book contains a compilation of poems, songs, wisdom snippets, and life situations in hard times. I was born in the ghetto, but my mind refuses to stay in the box of depression. I see beyond the box.

Here is 50 years of struggle through the eyes of a 10-year-old girl through her adulthood. She made it out of that box. Her escape route was just her hobby.

The Poet

Well, here I am again

Sitting at my desk

My pencil is my friend

For writing is my task

My poem will soon take form

Without a yet known title

While I am sitting in my dorm

For I am the unknown writer

My lines are nice and neat

My words are all in rhyme

While I am sitting in this seat

Worried not about the time

I write mostly for pleasure

It is what I love to do

My works, they are my treasure

Meaning more to me than you

I wonder where my works will go

When I am dead and buried

I hope they will lift some sad soul

And bring ease to the worried

I will always begin without a title

For I am the unknown writer.

Random Things People And Life

Fun

Fun can come from the things you like

When playing a game or riding your bike

By standing or sitting and looking around

If looking for fun, it sure will be found

Dancing or swimming, or playing in the sun

You can be doing it, and it is called fun.

Jokes

Jokes are played on all of us

They make you want to fight or fuss

They can hurt you in certain ways

And make you uncertain of what to say

You may feel like a fool or clown

And sometime jokes can tear you down

Why and what are jokes used for?

Ofttimes they can become a bore

People may laugh and others smile

As the jokes are then thrown into a pile

Be careful of the jokes you try

They just might make someone die.

Shoes

Long, pointy, slim, and low

Everywhere with us they go

Short and round; wide and high

They say hello and they say goodbye

Flat and worn; old or new

I own a pair and you do too.

Fast Buck

That money talks

I will not deny

I heard it once

It said goodbye.

Eyes

Large, small, bulging, slanted

Tender loving eyes romantic

Dreamy, sparkling, red, or runny

Beautiful, handsome, or just funny

They can be black or they can be brown

Green, or gray with red around

What are they?

What I say?

EYES…….

Hair

Straight, curly, long, and thick

All that hair just makes me sick

Dirty, nappy, kinky hair

Some that own it just do not care

Long and lovely; curled up tight

Others think that this makes it right

Hair whether wanted or just cut short

Everyone wears their hair to sport.

BE YOU!

Bird Nests

Yellow, red, brown, and gray

Birds flying with a mouth of hay

Fly to the east and fly to the west

Fly to your nest that you love the best

Leaves, sticks, straw, and twigs

Some have hair from several wigs

Little birds about to be born

Their nests are ready and beautifully adorned.

Candy

Sweet or sour

Buy it by the hour

Long and thin

Get it when you can

Short and thick

It can make you sick

STARS

Twinkle, twinkle little star

Is what they all will say

No one knows just what they are

Or how they got that way

Some say God gave them to us for light

Others say from evolution

God made them to brighten the night

Some say cosmic pollution

Yet wonderful they are to see

On a warm spring night

Just standing there you and me

To watch the starry sight.

Twinkle, twinkle little star

Is what they say all right

Twinkle, twinkle little star

Yes, twinkle through the night.

Memories

Where are all the memories

That we once used to share

Where are all the loved ones

That we used to love and care

The years move by so swiftly

The days so very slow

We cannot stop, or stand still

All of us must grow.

Children

C is for children to worry you at times

H is for havoc after they dine

I it is for ill when they are sick in bed

L is for the lovely bonnets on their heads

D is for daring to do what they like

R is for riding that brand