P o e t r y

Observations from a playground

The wind blows the dandelion fluff

Carries it far away

Lifts it far into the air

Releasing the stem of its burdens and care

The merry-go-round spins

Around and around and around and around

Dizzying circles

Of sky and cloud

The swing moves to extremes

Front and back

Higher and higher

Always going no where

The monkey bars stand a source of cold strength

Forming blisters on the palms

Of those who cling

To the temporary

Yet over all these toys

Shines light and love, hope and joy

A celebration of innocence, that

Plays.

Goodbyes from an Intersection

In the distance I could see your face.
That marbled look of cold years and hard work
made me think back to the time you shared
a cracked sliver of your life with me.

How the dreadful passing of time runs its course
at its own speed. The brakes slammed
only equals the amount of time between the breath you take
and the whisper I hear.

On the ground I could see the remnant of my tears,
pooling in the indentions left from your feet,
and I could mark the number of shoe prints in the mud
until they disappeared in your cold stone stare.

In the moment taken for a merry go round to come full circle,
I could see your face, warm and serene against the pillow,
your hands folded neatly upon your chest,
just a body returned to the mud your shoes used to steal.

dazzle you with words

dazzle you with with words, spin magic with lines
beyond my own mind and phrases turned at the drop of a
hat.  time flies beyond the horizon and I'm half
asleep. . . half dreaming too, but not like I should
be.  my soul lies baking in the sun, half bleached,
half dried and half as hopeful as I should be.  this
is a place of kingdom, a palace of earth before me
each new day. . . but I treat it like rubble far too
often.  hallowed by Thy name, truth be mine. . . just
like my Father, but I'm no where near there yet.  spin
me deep in You, dazzle me with all You are. .
. and forget the past as it lies, as it flies, as it
drops far out of time and sight.

The Essence of Faith

Hi, I figure I'd better introduce myself first. My name is Danielle Salcedo, from San Antonio, Texas. I just started the MDiv here at Asbury. This poem is my attempt at capturing all of the feeling of transition to get to seminary.

"The Essence of Faith"

I’ve jumped from a cliff

Of a height unknown

Left everything I once knew as home

I’m wandering lost

Praying to be known by God

Struggling to find a place all my own

I twist as I fall

Suddenly the sky is not up

The ground is not down

I stand here alone

In the midst of a crowd

This journey I’m on

I don’t know where it ends

But I’m trying so hard

To follow God’s lead

To trust in his plan

And walk on behind.

And I know that this is

The essence of faith.

Danielle Salcedo

August 31, 2006