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

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

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

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

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

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 --

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