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Sunday, November 29, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Otura Ofun

Drifting snowflakes flutter
across the sky
an effervescent show of
glittering light 
dancing all around
If there is such a thing
as magic
this is surely
what it looks like
trees tipped in merengues
left by god’s frozen sneeze
silence wraps my ears
and cold envelopes my nose
as my breath creates
plumes of steam
that break the stillness
floating away
like my thoughts
I am ever amazed
that in this world of chaos and hatred
there still exists such
wondrous beauty
If only we could all
for a moment
stop
and feel it
perhaps we would make
better
choices
so that someday
our children might
look upon these same miracles
and enjoy the beauty
the universe
has given
us

Friday, November 6, 2015

contemplation on the Odu Otura Odi


Belief in
the devil
is a waste
of precious time
An invention
of the human mind
serving only as
a reminder
that sometimes
demons of our own creation
can take up residence
in our hearts
turning us into predators
seeking out prey
inflicting pain
on ourselves 
on others
and sometimes
replicating like a nasty
virus
for which there is
only one cure
Human
Heal thyself
and thine
neighbor
with
love

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogbe Irosun

I woke up today
asking myself
what is truth?
Having talked much
about the search for it
I figured that I better
have some good ideas
about what it was
or even
what it wasn't
However
after only a few moments
I realized that
Even that which appears
to be set in stone
will eventually crumble to dust
Truth is as
fluid
as the sea
and highly dependent
on one's perspective
What is truth today
may not be truth for a lifetime
especially when that lifetime
belongs to a star
millions of years old
The butterfly born
as the warm summer wanes
lives and dies
before it has a
chance to see
the autumn leaves
explode with color
never knowing the
many patterns of a
snowflake
Mankind has existed
no more than a second
in the life of the universe
so
Before you hold your truth
as right
as universal
as perfect
remember
you
are
just
a
butterfly

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Irete Meji


If you only had
5 minutes left
what would you
say?
Would you
recount
those walks
we took
alone
the laughter 
we shared
in our most intimate
moments
the joy 
when we brought
another light
into this world
No
I think
you would sit
in silence
love
has already
spoken for you
thank you
for letting 
me
love 
you

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Contemplation on the odu Otura Ogbe

we don’t always
have the opportunity
to say thank you
or good bye
sometimes life
gets in the way
so if you get the chance
take a moment to
whisper those words
into the air
and let them
be swept up
by the passing wind
that they might find their way

home 

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Oyekun Odi

I have now seen more winters
then I am likely to ever see again
though far from twilight
I stand at the midpoint of a
horizon that is both
expanding
and
contracting
I know my journey is far from over
but I sit in stillness
introspective
pondering how I got here
and where I will go
the air
heavy and wet
filled with the moisture of
storms past
and those yet to come
I will persevere
as the sun, wind and rains
leave traces of their
harsh existence
on my skin
Will you look
deep within
and tell me
what it is that
you see?
Imperfect
as I may be
I am still strong
and while I will likely be forgotten
in a thousand years
I will still try
despite the inevitable
failures
to always be a
better version
of me
Will you?




Thursday, October 1, 2015

Contemplation on my own Odu as a Babalawo, Iwori Aweda

I suppose
it’s destiny...
Every time I come
to your aide
you are struck
with amnesia
moments later
I take strange comfort
in the fact that
it seems to happen regularly
and not just with you
maybe someone else noticed
maybe not
so I’ll just relish the
thought that
my contributions
are like hidden treasures
waiting to someday
be discovered


Contemplation on my own Odu as a Babalawo, Iwori Aweda, that is destiny that plays itself out

Friday, September 25, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Irosun Osa

The problem with
faith
is that it's predicated on
someone else’s version
of truth
which may one day
prove to be  
less than
truthful
Therefore it is up to us 
each and every one
to find the truth
for ourselves
by continually questioning
our beliefs
so as to determine
what “our"
truth
is
only then
can we have
faith


Thursday, September 3, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogunda Iwori

I hope that the words that
Spill on to the page
From the chalice of my thoughts
Might cause you to slip
And stumble upon God
Perhaps then you will realize that
Religion is
Meaningless
And that all the preachers that
quote scripture
Like trained parrots
Have not comprehended that
There are no words
That could ever explain
The infinite
Except perhaps
Love

inspired while listening to Nils Frahm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLNeZogTsK8

Monday, August 24, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogbe Odi

Try not to forget
The old days
For which you pine
Were once new
And the source of resentment
For the generation
That came before you
The stagnant pool of water
Festers and breeds disease
The river flows freely
Replacing old water with fresh
Feeding the cycle of life
Swim freely and
enjoy the changing landscape
As you return to the ancestral ocean
Your family welcomes you with
Open arms


Thursday, August 20, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogbe Iwori (Ogbe wene)

I took the road that was
in front of me
it seemed as good as any other
a bit feral
and out of use
but it would get me from
point A to
somewhere
I wasn’t really sure where
but I figured I’d eventually find myself
someplace new
someplace different
I didn’t know it at the time
but it was an unusual choice
and
it turned out to be circuitous
at the best of times
dangerous
at worst
which really didn’t matter much since
I didn’t exactly know where I was going
I still don’t
but
I have learned that
whatever road I chose
will be an adventure


Marcos Caracol Sanchez — inspired by Robert Frost

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

contemplation on the odu Irete Ofun

I have made mistakes
correction
I still make mistakes
That's better
I'm sure it's no surprise to you
but it's good to say
out loud
sometimes
to remind myself
and
let's be honest
to remind
everyone else
It seems lame to
blame it on my humanity
or
my inability to fully come to terms
with events in my life
but as with anything
Perfection is easier to imagine
than achieve
So I'll keep trying to get it right
and in the meantime
I'll preemptively apologize
for whatever stupid thing
I might do
Please remember
Deep inside
I'm not malicious
just full of flaws
whose cracks I try to fill
with love

--  inspired by Piazzolla's Oblivion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkQvfIsLQmY

Monday, August 17, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogbe Osa



There is no past

There is no future

There is only now

The rest

is just peanut butter on a dog's tongue

Monday, August 10, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Otura Ogbe ( Otura Niko )

I don't mind that chip
You left on my shoulder
It made me who I am
Every time you said something cruel
Or looked at me like I didn't belong
Or pushed me to the ground
I got back up to spite you
Brushed the dirt from my clothes
And Held my head high
Even when the pain in my bones
made me wince
Over the years I learned that
Getting back up was a skill
As important as any other
And one that could be elevated to an art
I also learned that bones heal
Becoming stronger than before
Able to withstand the bumps and bruises called life
But most important
After many years
I learned the soul too can heal
If we let it
Made of a most resilient material
Needing only care and love
To nourish it back to health
Wiser than before
Better able to withstand the weather
Funny thing
You prepared me
for an extraordinary life
I hope that you too were prepared
Or if not
that you found love
In everything a lesson learned
Thank you

Friday, August 7, 2015

Contemplation on the odu Ofun Ogunda

I am
who I am
I am not
who I was
nor am I yet
who I will become
that is all to say
I exist
today
in this
moment
since I am no longer who I was
I will strive not to dwell too much on the past
but instead  learn as much as I can
from it
and
since I am not yet who I will become
I will strive not to dwell too much on the future
but instead take what I have learned
from the past
and
apply it to who I am today
that I might always be the best person I can
be

-- Ofun Ogunda is never chanted aloud without first offering ebo/atonement --

Monday, August 3, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogbe Oyekun - inspired by Hafez​

I write about
The mundane
And find God
Has left me clues
About who we are
Like crumbs
Spilled from a child's
Afternoon snack
Left for me to
Sweep up into
The receptacle I call
My thoughts
Swirling tea leaves
Whose patterns
slowly emerge
hardship
wealth
sorrow
joy
hate
love
Speaking volumes
Without uttering
a single
word
I give voice
To the mundane
Hoping to reveal
Its hidden language
And unlock within our hearts
The ability to see
Truth
To transcend pettiness
And build a world of
Limitless love
Only then will we shed
Our need for religion
Because we will see that
There is nothing
that exists
That is not
God

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogunda Irete

Faith and destiny
are masters best served
by a questioning mind

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogunda Meji

In the dark
Time bends and blurs
With eyes closed
Reality loses boundaries
As our mind collapses in
On itself
A black hole of ideas
Imploding under the weight
Of freedom
We create the unexpected
Every time our eyes close
And we enter the alternate reality
We call sleep

Monday, June 29, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Oturupon Irosun

In a world of chaos
It is important to stop
And hold yourself against the current
So you can hear the water
As it rushes by
Even if you know that
Eventually you can hold on no longer
And you will
with absolute certainty
Be swept up in the rush of humanity
But for one sweet moment
As you steady yourself against the tide
You will live in the moment
Of the moment
And experience the synchronicity
We call life

-- Marcos Caracol Sanchez -- Contemplation on the Odu Oturupon Irosun, written while listening to a violinist play Vivaldi's Four Seasons solo.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Iwori Ogbe

Religion
by definition
should be immutable
in its flexibility, thus allowing it
to stay meaningful through the ages.
Once it has lost its elasticity, it
no longer serves any
worthy purpose
and
like a branch
unable to bend, it will
invariably break under the weight
of dogma, righteousness and certainty
breeding fear and contempt while
becoming the very
thing that it
hates
Confronted
with an immovable
barrier, the stream continues its
journey to the sea by embracing its true nature
moving fluidly to adapt to its new
environment fulfilling 

its destiny

Monday, May 25, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Owonrin Oshe

I have told you stories
Of magical days
And wondrous nights
Of mythical flights of fancy
And impossible feats
Of gods
And demons
Of falls into the depths of dispair
And triumphant returns
But why
have I told you these stories?
You might ask
That seem so
fantastically untrue
As to border on the absurd
It is
So that those of you
Who are lost
Might capture
A glimpse
Of the truths
That lie beneath
Blur your sight
To the recognizable
Forget
What you thought you saw
And find with your heart
The wisdom you seek

Friday, May 22, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Okanran Ogunda (Ocana Ogunda)

I am a collection of stories greater than my own
I carry the history of the universe in my bones
It has made me who I am
For better
Or for worse
All I can do
Is add my chapter
To the book of life
Marking my existence
With a footnote
That says
I
was
here
I hope that after I have returned
To the stardust from whence I came
These words
My words
Will carry whatever wisdom I found
To future travelers
That are amidst writing their chapter
And provide them with
Nourishing morsels of thought
And so I leave you with this
Tiny crumb
Time is only a word
That will never fully capture
Our impermanent state of being
Nor will it ever explain
Where our thoughts go
After our bodies have outlived
Their usefulness
In the infinite universe
Where there is no beginning
Or end
Time is an illusion that serves no purpose
So I say
Live
Love
Laugh
Forget that it will end
Because every ending
Is just a beginning in disguise
And learn from the stars
That are
Until they are not

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Okanran Oturupon (Okana Otrupon)

I am a man
I am not a dog
I have two legs
not four
and though I can only
walk in one direction
my mind is free
to pursue many pursuits
to have many thoughts
to follow many paths
some of which 
are dead ends
some of which 
lead to success
all of which
teach me of life
how to succeed
how to avoid obstacles
and how to overcome adversity
so that my eyes
might see the path in front of me
and my mind 
can see the paths that surround me

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Odi Ogbe

They call me ishmael
and I am on a quest to find the sea
This is my story
A story of the ages
upon which dynasties will rise and fall
Yet my only wish
is that the knowledge of my quest
be left for those who are also
seekers of truth
As with many stories
this one begins humbly
filled with questions and hope
As with all stories
this one ends silently
filled with more questions than answers
It is the tale of my quest
to find an oasis
in a world beset by drought
and filled with desert
in every direction
There is however, no need to tell every tale
I have none that has not already been told
What I will leave you with is this
It is out there
and eventually
everyone finds themselves
on the ocean of eternity
sailing through the universe
The journey through the desert
is just the beginning of a tale
that never ends
I am the breeze that whispers in your ear
I am the collective unconscious
I am you
I am
alive
They call me ishmael
I am on a quest to find the sea
This is my story

Friday, April 24, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogunda Irosun

Pick yourself up off the floor
or end up soiled and grey
drowning in the puddles of emotion
that are squeezed from your body
as passers by step all over you
Pick yourself up I said
because, while it's nice to think
someone will come and offer a ladder
chances are
they won't
and even if they do
it's still up to you
to climb the ladder
one by one
or
two by two
Pick
your
self
up
because opportunity is best viewed
when soaring like a hawk
and impossible to see
in the one dimensional world
you now find yourself in


Monday, March 16, 2015

Contemplation on the odu Ogbe Odi ( Ogbe'di )

I’m up here
come on up
the air is clear 
and we can feel free
to be ourselves
Up here
where shifting boundaries
bend and blur
and life has infinite permutations
So much to see
so much to learn
There is no receiving
without giving
nor giving 
without receiving
until after a moment of discomfort
black and white impose themselves
and I watch you fall back into normalcy
trying to drag me with you
making me realize
perhaps it was a mistake to invite you
into my world
I see now why people on the fringes
create boundaries
or at least
choose to view life from afar


Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ogbe Iwori

To walk into the past
while standing in the present
can cause old emotions
to bubble to the surface
of the murky lake you drowned them in
Concrete blocks
tied to insecurities
from a time when
kindness was rarely shown
by those around you
Chains loosened
fears float to the top
popping around you
air stagnant with the smell of adolescence
as you struggle to breathe
that putrid sense of not being
good enough filling your nostrils
until
eyes closed
you remember
who you are
how far you traveled
the worlds you’ve seen
the demons you’ve slain
then
silently
you walk away
releasing the past
only to think of your next adventure

----- written while listening to Bobby Scott's rendition of "nature boy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoTzR-Pp3VA 

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Iwori Meji

When traveling with hyenas
Don't get too comfortable
Watching as the pack
Tears apart its prey
In a frenzy of blind emotions
Without any true loyalty
You may find that tomorrow you
Are the object of their attentions

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Contemplation on the Odu Ofun Meji

Before you open your mouth
before the thought enters your mind
before your eyes sit in judgement
before you put pen to paper
stop
and with eyes closed
imagine
a walk across the tens of billions
of solar systems that we call neighbors
and tell me
without a hint of arrogance
that you have found truth
that your way is the right way
that redemption lies only in your belief
that you have found the one.
Please
stop
and with eyes open
see
the vanity in your words
What does truth mean
to a man sitting on the sun?
What will salvation look like
to a ray of light?
What can I say to you
so you can see the foolishness 
of your words?
Live your life
this one time
with meaning
and love
and stop thinking
you are more
than a grain of sand
at the base of a sand castle
about to be washed away
by the ebb and flow 
of eternity

(created while listening to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIwwjy4slI8 - Nils Frahm "says")
Inspired by the new hubble photograph https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udAL48P5NJU#t=11