Dear Titi

“DEAR TITI” Poem & Lyrics by: MonaLisa Ortiz -- Lyrics: A note just to tell you again How much your kindness meant The place you picked was perfect The fun, the laughs, the food Thank you for making time for us When you have so much going on Your own husband, his illness-- The challenges love demands Crazy what we get away Without saying in life We have that in common. I don’t know if I ever told you But you were that cool aunt to me So stylish and pretty and chic I showed off the photo you sent to me Of you wearing the white linen dress And no one believes that you’re 80 Do you? I don’t. How’d we get old? Crazy what we get away Without saying in life What we get away Without saying in life Crazy what we get away Crazy what we get away Without saying, saying in life Crazy what we get away Crazy what we get away Without saying in life What we get away Without saying in life -- This poem was created during Educational Alliance’s Poetry in Music workshop series with older New Yorkers in celebration of National Poetry Month. It was later transformed into a song using AI (Suno), with the original text set to music and the artist shaping the musical style to reflect the poem’s emotional tone. This process explored new creative tools and technologies. The piece was featured in the annual CelebratEArts festival, a month-long May exhibition honoring Older Americans Month. The festival celebrates creativity, expression, and connection through the arts. The 2026 theme, "The Power of Belonging," invited reflection on lived experience, the creative process, and the stories that connect us. Poetry is Music was facilitated by Xiomara A. Maldonado. The Artistic Director for CelebratEArts is Cory Michael Herman. Learn more about CelebratEArts at: 14streety.org/celebratearts #PoetryInMusic #MusicWithAI #CelebratEArts