Iwori Aweda contemplation on being

There once existed

A version of me

Full of life and laughter

Unapologetically loud

Dancing along the boundaries of

What is and what could be

Unafraid to explore every

Corner of the earth

Driving full speed towards

An unknown horizon

I miss that person

It happened almost imperceptibly

Little by little

Through the years

This place

These people

This America

Blew out his light

With its puritanical veil

What irony that both

Liberal and conservative

Smothered the flame

In almost equal measure

Two ends of the spectrum

Actually meeting at the other end

Of a circle

I grieve that version

Of myself

His light

His confidence

His fire

He would not recognize

Me in the mirror

It’s hard to blame anyone really

They likely all had other versions

Of themselves

Snuffed out

By their own

Trials and tribulations

Staining your heart with the bitterness
Of their criticisms and judgements

I sometimes think about what

In another world

Another place

Another country

That me

Would have become

It hasn’t been all bad

Life has had

Amazing moments

So many beautiful memories

But I do wish

That version of me

Could have experienced them

First hand

If I could speak to him

I would tell him

To not let the naysayers

The people who disliked him

Who couldn’t appreciate his flame

Diminish his spark

I would tell him to

Have the courage to leave his path

For one that might let him be

Contemplation on the odu Eji Ogbe (and marriage)

I am the one
Who has created this place
This world within
Filled with dreams of
What could be
What should be
So beautiful
So bold
So alive
A window into the very
Essence of my soul
Yet somehow
Whichever way I turn
There lies a mirror
That carries within it
A portrait of the world
As it is
Sometimes colliding
Sometimes reflecting
Sometimes creating
New versions of
My world
It is inescapable
This marriage
Between the world I want and
The world I have been given
For better
For worse
For richer
For poorer
Until death
Do us part

Contemplation on Odu Oyekun Ogbe

If you stop to notice
God
Is just a name for that which is
Unknowable
You might understand our
Common ground
We all agree that God is unknowable
Even the most devoted amongst us
We all agree that the Universe is unknowable
Even the most scientific amongst us
So why can’t we see that
As much as we are different
We are the same
Perhaps if we could
We would be able to
Listen and Learn
From each other
Instead of
Calling each other names

Contemplation for the times, on Oyeku Meji

Critical thinking is the 

barrier between 

freedom and submission

without it

we are destined to be 

slaves 

to those in power

More Contemplation on the Odu Iwori Ogunda (iwori aweda)

The unexamined life

Lacks the ability to

Clearly distinguish

Truth from illusion

Contemplation on the Odu Okanran Owonrin (Okanran Ajangbila)

To kneel and pray
Can not preclude
One’s ability to
Stand and think
When it does
We are inexorably led
On a journey into
The darkest corners
Of our being
Though they appear to be
Diametrically opposed
Belief and critical thought
Are the two sides of a mirror
That make us human
One side reflecting who we can be
The other who we are
True Religion
Is an ever evolving guide to
Navigating the path
From one to the other
Always requiring
Self reflection
Never
Blind following
Because the unquestioned life
Is no life at all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjzZ_0KSYVg&t=2s 

Contemplation on the Odu Oturupon Ofun

I am Lost at sea
Adrift in the currents of life
Thrown back and forth
In a small boat with no oars
Wet
Cold
Tired
Yet filled with
Determination
To get
Somewhere
This loneliness inside
Seeks the companionship of
Shore
A harbor from the world
Where Grace arrives unbidden
Where my burdens are shed
Like wet clothing to
Dry in the sunlight
A short respite before
I continue my journey
We all need
Rest
We all need
Safe harbor
Sometimes
Remember to leave your heart
Open
To be surprised by
Grace


Best read when listening to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7zV8gXmH14