ERES tú
Eres mi espejo
cuando te miro
cuando hablamos
puedo ver un despejo
en ti veo mi reflejo
Eres un alma
tal como yo
eres quien me calma
puedo irme a donde sea
eres quien me calma
Un baso de agua,
una linda mañana
eres un alma
el unico que me calma
Susurro tú nombre
sueño con tenerte
no se como ni cuando
pero un dia llegaste tú
y saciaste mi hambre.
-EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012
Enrique Iglesias, one of my favorite Latin music artists once explained in an interview that some of his songs are born in Spanish and others in English. I feel the same way when I write my poems Today I wrote this poem and I was tempted to translate it for my English speakers. I refrained because I believe as my daughter Elena once quoted, “Poetry is like love, you don’t have to understand it, to feel it.”
ES TEMPRANO
Aqui estoy arrebatada. 
Me siento inutil,
Y un poco pesada
Me pesa mi alma por que no te tengo.
Me pesa el Corazon por que estas lejos.
Lejos, leeejjjjooos de mi
Tu amada:
La que te ama de verdad.
Sin falsedad.
Que hago?
Nada.
Que pienso?
Nada
Es aun muy temprano.
Eres mi projimo y mi hermano,
Un alguien lindo,
Precioso ser humano.
Simplemente se que te amo.
-EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012
Simplemente se que te amo.
“What do these famous authors and their novels listed here have in common? Mark Twain– Huckleberry Finn, John Grisham– A Time to Kill, Walt Whitman-Leaves of Grass, Richard Paul Evans– The Christmas Box , Beatrix Potter- Creator of The Peter Rabbit series and Julia Child– the Joy of Cooking. These are among the many famous authors who self-published their works first then went on to become best sellers. These writers never gave up after receiving numerous rejection letters from publishing houses. So they took a stab at it an did it themselves. What followed for them was that once they self published, the publishers took note and picked up their self published work.
A year and a half after my first book, I finished my second manuscript. Salsa! The Taste of Life, is a volume of mostly short stories with some poetry. I was thinking of self publishing again; I seriously had my doubts about sending it anyplace. One of my daughters kept telling me that she thought it was very good and that I ought to send it in to a publisher. I was terrified of those terrible rejection letters so I said no way. But I started looking around on line and I was overwhelmed with the whole process of having to have a literary agent in order to even pitch anything to most major publishers. So I kept looking and then I found Tate Publishing; one of the very few publishers left who still take manuscripts without all the hassle. So I sent them my manuscript and held my breath for several weeks. Six weeks later I received the news of my life: We want to publish Salsa! , the email read. They also informed me that out of hundreds of manuscripts they receive every year, they only publish 4% of those. I had made the cut, I was elated!So what have I learned from self publishing verses traditional publishing? Well for one, I had an editor assigned to help me polish my work and I thoroughly enjoyed it because it helped me see my writing in a new light. I also lost the fear of having my project scrutinized by the editor’s professional eye and realized she was there to help me take my writing to a whole new level. When I self published I had no idea what to do to market my book. Now, I am being trained by Tate Publishing so I can learn how to get my book out there. They invested in me so now they are going to do their best to make sure I do well because if Salsa! Succeeds it’s good news for them.
http://hendersonwritersgroup.blogspot.com/2012/10/october-15th-meeting-notes.html
She saw him in her dream.
Emilio was there
Looking just like in times gone by.
The same boyish face-
That once made her heart trip;
looked at her in a desolate stare.
Her heart’s door- he closed recently.
His heart’s door – closed long ago when Sofia left.
She followed him just like old times.
He never stopped.
She pursued.
He deflected.
Sofia prayed. 
Emilio ran.
She called.
He never answered.
Sofia hope against all hope for them both.
Emilio’s well of hope dried out long ago.
He only tried to survive his own hell.
She wept.
He had no tears.
She wept for them both.
She changed as did he.
Change is good,
It helped them both move on.
Now when she dreams of him she smiles-to have known him only for the blink of an eye was knowing him for a life time. No one could take that away from her-not even that old devil itself called time.
-EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012
So how is it that you left it all behind? That’s easy, because you CHOSE to. You decided to take a deep breath and just let it ALL go. When did you decide not to keep on hanging to all that futility? When it absolutely became of no use to you. When you realized it was just a fantasy. When you faced your fear of being alone and decided you matter. YOU MATTER DAMN IT!!!
A dream died but another one flourishes in its stead. Is there ever a replacement of dreams? Or is it a dream exchange; where you trade up for a better one?
She longed for him as a starved soul in a prison longs for the sun light and good nourishment. She ached deep in her bones for him and he remained aloof and detached. Did he ever care? She will never know. Diego never gave Lidia a chance because his heart was torn in so many places by so many people. It now resembled more of an atlas map that had been tossed into a paper shredder. He had no idea how to respond to the flames of an old love. Talking to her excited him to no end. But then he had to go home and face his tormentor and main humiliation. He had made his mistakes with Jo Anne and she had decided to make him relive them every single day. So he was a man tossed and kicked about by the winds of circumstance.
He really had no clue about what he wanted. He wanted Lidia. He longed for her and that’s why he pushed her away completely. He couldn’t bring himself to hurt the one woman he never pursued. To go after her was too late. Lidia was settled or so it seemed. She pleaded with him . She bent over backward for him and Diego still never believed that some one that good was meant for him.
What happened? How can two lovers lose their way so completely to where there is no getting back to where they began? Did they ever have a chance? Where they ever meant to be? There is a mystery in the way a man is with a maiden. Why did it work for others but not for Lidia and Diego? Why did the stars and the constellations never line up for them as they have done so for so many other couples in centuries gone by? Why are there so many lovers whose stars crossed but never align? And why keep asking why? The questions outnumber the answers as the grains of sand on a beach, far outnumber the people who sun bathe on them . How many people are out there spending their days with the wrong person? How many people never give love another chance simply because it didn’t work out with the one they thought was their one and only?
So it’s time to get going! Let go and trade up on your dreams. Yes it’s hard especially when you have to think and believe differently. The old comforts and the new overwhelms. A vintage sweater is best worn with a pair of worn shoes; it keeps you warm and the shoes are familiar with where you’ve walked. But now that you toss them aside for a fresh sweater and new shoes, don’t forget the comfort you once drew from them. Embrace the unventured and wear it well. Be glad for what was and don’t weep for it anymore. Look in the mirror and smile because you are still standing. Enjoy this unchartered place and never long for earlier times; they have a way of beckoning you to stay where you were. Fight the urge to go back to the old and familiar with all your might.
-EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012
El no sabe que sentir. Does he feel relief? Yes and sadness that it has to be this way. Some anger comes and goes when Carlos remembers how much he cared; and for what? He cared because he is that way. He cares because someone has to. He cares because he has a living, breathing heart. But now Carlos knows not to care when someone has given up. Don’t care more than the other person. Is this right? He is not really sure. The thing is he is fresh out of answers. That’s right you heard it from the bird: No more answers to be found here.
All Carlos has now is a faith that guides him uphill, on a path strewn with uncertainty. Every day he wakes up to the sun and it greets him with the same warmth he felt yesterday. Carlos goes to bed at night under the same twinkling stars and bright lit moon; knowing everything is going to be fine no matter what he chooses. He has wings now. Carlos can fly because he is not afraid to . All that holds him back now is himself and he is not going to let that happen. As long as Carlos is alive he will keep soaring higher and higher because the chicken coop is no place for an eagle like he.
He did his best. Carlos knows deep inside, where it really counts, that he gave his all and that, he will never, ever regret. When Carlos chose his life he decided to make it worth his while. He never was one to complain because after all, everything that has come into his life was based on the decisions he made . Who can he blame for the bad decisions? NO ONE! No one is at fault here, not even Carlos because he learned to cut himself some slack and go easy on the boy who as it turns out, is not Super Man or Iron Man; He is HUMAN and that is all. Carlos
never said he knew everything. He just said he’d find out if he didn’t know.
Is Carlos’s world crashing down? Yes it is. He used to be afraid of that happening and that’s why he fought alone for so long. He tried to keep a team of wild horses from careening down that precipice and now that he let go of the reins , he finds it is amazingly easier to let go than he previously imagined. Now that they are crashing, Carlos finds relief and a bit of annoyance for not having done it sooner.
EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012
I never go to political rallies of any kind, it just doesn’t interest me. Today, my youngest daughter Raquel talked me into going to hear Ann Romney speak. She even prompted me by asking if I could count our outing as part of her history class and I agreed. 
I am so glad I went to this rally! When we arrived there it was crowded and hot in that building. Excitement was in the air and I was blessed to see that my almost 12-year-old was happy to be there. The rally didn’t last long and as the crowd thinned we went outside. After a few minutes of sitting in front of The Romney blue and white bus, Raquel told me she wanted to go back in to get Mrs. Romney’s autograph. So back in we went.
This time luck was on our side because she was still taking pictures with people. We made our way to the front and suddenly I grabbed my proof copy of Salsa! The Taste of Life, and I gave it to Raquel to have the future first lady sign it. We waited for a bit and she finally saw my girl waving and calling out, ” Mrs. Romney , please sign my mom’s book!” Mrs. Romney looked at her and smiled and then she took the book from her small hands. The security guard standing beside Mrs. Romney brusquely grabbed it and flipped quickly through the pages and then he handed my book back so she could sign it. That was the last thing Mrs. Romney signed, then they whisked her away to meet other people.
As we walked home, Raquel beamed with pride saying this was the BEST history class she ever had. I am so proud of her at this moment for having talked me into it!
-EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012
Last night was GREAT! I went to The Coffee House and read excerpts of my new book, SALSA! The Taste of Life,
at open mic night. What a great place to share my new book. Don Watkins, the owner is a people person who wants his clientele to enjoy themselves as much as possible.
I traveled all over Europe when I was in my teens and I remember sitting in those quaint European cafes just sipping on a soda and watching people. Don has brought that same European flavor to my little corner of the globe. The Coffee House 
is different because it’s not one of those major coffee house franchises that all tend to look and feel the same. The Coffee House has a unique ambiance of its own and I’m proud to say I will be launching my book from there.
Last night was Open Mic Night, an event that is held every Friday evening. People can come play music, read poetry and sing their hearts out and that’s just what I saw unfold before my very eyes. As a matter of fact, my son who plays guitar made his debut their last night too! He did great and the crowd enjoyed his talent.
So if you’re ever making plans for your Friday nights head on out to The Coffee House located on 117 S. Water Street, Henderson, NV.. Bring your talent or, come hear others, you will be surprised!
-Eva Santiago copyright 2012
Once in a life time you meet 
someone who shows you a mirror reflection of yourself that you had not seen before: KEEP THAT FRIEND! He/ SHE is TRUE! -Eva Santiago
Friend- Someone to talk to.
I want to send a big shout out to my 1500+ blog followers. You are the best audience ever 🙂 So I have to share the latest developments on my new book, SALSA! The Taste of Life, with you. I just heard from my publisher, TATE PUBLISHING that the book is going into print SOON! That’s right , you heard it! I will give you more details as I get them. Again, thank you for reading my blog and stay tuned because when Salsa! comes out I will be having contests of all sorts and if you want a free autographed copy then, you’ll just have to play along!
Have a fantastic week-end friends!!
Eva Santiago 