I Can

I can still
picture the way
your eyes glistened with
honest, sincere happiness

hear your voice as it whispered
words of hope and genuine love
into my ears

feel your hand stroking my hair,
gently rubbing my back and legs;
a touch I needed more than I was able to say

see your angel hovering in the darkness
taste our bitter end
sense when you’re not okay

And I can see you there
longing for something more

I can still
hope that you become
the girl you always
dreamed you would

wish that you use up
every single drop
of your potential

wonder how your life
is unfolding
without me by your side

look forward to the day I see love in your eyes
speculate over what you think of me now
dream of the day I can tell you the truth

But for now I can see you there
not really knowing who you are.

Alive

I’ve been thinking about my life
before I opened my eyes to all the colors
and all the truth (along with all the lies)
I’ve been contemplating my mindset
before I heard the leaves swaying free in the wind
and listened to the rain’s song
as it unfolded upon the grounds.

and quiet frankly, I’m wondering how I lived
without ever being alive.

I remember when there was no such thing as sound
only the nuisance of noise;
when words were nothing more than their definitions;
when music was always meant to be in the background.

I remember when my voice, my mind, me heart,
My soul, my entire being was not of my own design.

And I’m left wondering how I lived,
without ever being alive.

But now that I’m awake
I realize that life is so much more
than what meets the eye,
so live while you can
without a worry of time;
live for the moment
and make most of whatever comes your way.
Let go of your anchors; let go our your past.
Spontaneity should be the new drug of choice
I don’t know about you,
but I’m under the influence
of the air I breathe.
Inhaling nature’s best and most positive, energetic spirits;
exhaling all that I don’t need,
hoping that my saturation can be your salvation,

so take it all in;
breathe it all in now.
It’s time to be alive!
It’s time to notice all we breeze by!
I don’t mean to preach but this is everything
they don’t mention in our everyday life.

And you see,
I’ve been thinking about the person
I used to be,
I was living with numbed senses
living in shadows, petrified of my own potential
when I should have been creating colors,
spreading truth, while putting an end to the lies,
listening to all the sounds
and finding out what it means
to actually be alive.

CBC Family

I wrote this September 4, 2007

It’s been the summer of
nothing special, everything memorable
simple pleasures, sunset splendors;
the summer of novel emotion
and ordinary moments.
But never can I forget
all my Tuesday nights
standing in front of y’all
allowing you to watch me grow.
I think I speak for all of up when I say
this is more than a one a week gathering
when you step in front of this mic.,
your family.
So whether it’s the weekend and you’re drinkin’ up
of you off to school learning fluff
you can’t deny that Cool Beanz was nothing short of heaven
during the summer of 2007

The Street

By Nicole Castellano and Joli Ienuso

Both: The street is
Joli: alive with the spontaneous rhythm of unknown souls
Nicole: crowded.

Joli: The chaos fuels my blissful
swagger as I glide gracefully through
a colorful array of features
masquerading as drums
adding to the beat of

Both: the street

Nicole: is congested with the mindlessness
of anonymous fools concocting their
means of existence causing them
to rush to their
“oh so important”

Both: destinations

Joli: of vast wonderment
as I dance aimlessly
down the smooth concrete highway
while I dreamily roam with my eyes
the skyscrapers by my

Both: side

Nicole: side by side with hundreds of
careless, self-centered, neurotic, pretentious,

Both: mother

Joli: always told me to look
both ways before crossing

Both: the street

Nicole: is alive with pandemonium
as two cars collide causing harmony to

Both: erupt

Joli: into anarchy as the melody
of the street is

Both: broken

Nicole: spirits come together
to feel the comfort of

Both: the whole

Joli: street is in panic and I realize
my idealistic world is

Both: a false

Nicole: opinion of the world around me…

Both: Perhaps the street might not have been
what it seemed to be

kindasortatotally

Okay, so maybe I haven’t been giving you
everything you deserve
but does it help to know that I’ve been meaning to?
I might be holding myself back from saying that
I’m falling in l-l-laaaa
I’m getting therreee

The thing is you caught me at a weird time in my life
See, I’m just finding out
who I am according to my new philosophies
yeah, so confidante in my new exterior
but still I’m scared I’ll make
the same mistakes again

Sure, my clothes are cuter and my hairs done
I’ve even grown an inch
just by standing up right
but a part of me will always be that
shy little thing trying to be so much more
by defining myself with past successes

And maybe you do deserve much more
than I’m able to give but if you have some patience
I’m almost ninety eight point fourseventwo percent
sure that I’ll voice the fact that I’m
kindasortatotallyfallinginlovewith…
You.

Scene’s From a Coffee Shop

There’s a lot of dumb mistakes in this poem…i know it but i typed it fast and i didn’t have the ime to fix it. You should get the idea, and i’ll eventually have to the time to go back and correct myself.

Do you have a piece of paper
that I can borrow?
No, but have three that you can keep,
the name’s Joli by the way
and I’m one of the corknyist people you’ll ever meet.
Yes, I rhyme all the time
I keep the beat with my feet
But I change the tune with my mood
that used to say a lot but lately I’ve been happy with whatever I got.
Ringing cell phone and a pleasant surprise
his voice on the line reminds me of my lack in time
but the sweetness in his tone tell me I don’t have to worry about being alone.
Then walks in a mother and daughter
asking if there is a chair to spare
I’ll give you two and a footstool ta-boot.
Thank you, thank you my dear but what will you do?
I do not fear the support of my own legs
so relax for a bit I have no need to sit.
And there I stood for as long as I could
watching all the people go by, waiting for the fade of the sky
Dark denim with stare light flare, I continued to stand without a care.
One by one the people left with a heavy sigh still there I was in my meditative high.
Then I awoke with a question, a young girl spoke:
Do you have a piece of paper I can borrow?
No, but I have three that you can keep,
the name’s Joli by the and I’m the corknyist person you’ll ever meet.