Contemplations on the Odu Osa Ika

Sit closely and I will share my heart. A soliloquy of stories told and untold will pass from my lips to your ears unfolding imperfectly for you to see. A book of unknown length, unfinished, waiting for an ending that will be told by another. Let me sit closely, and listen too, to your heart. -- Marcos Ifalola --

Contemplation on the Odu Ogbe Odi

A checklist can insure you buy the right ingredients to make a sumptuous feast. But life isn't always about checklists, sometimes, you need to just follow your heart wherever it may lead, and listen to what it needs, not what you wrote on a piece of paper. -- marcos ifalola

Contemplations on the Odu Oyekun Otura

Fragments of a past that is no longer haunt my drive on this rainy day. The door that once welcomed me now looks back at me, a stranger contemplating its own destiny, devoid of recognition as I pass it. Once in, I find a museum filled with a world that was mine and is no longer. Looking at different pieces bring back fleeting memories intermingled with curiosity at new pieces added to the installation curated by another. You can never go back. Once the bell is rung, it can't be unheard, and so one can only hope to ring other bells, whose sound might ring sweet in the mind of another.  -- marcos ifalola

Contemplation on the Odu Oturupon Oworin

A mirror's reflection shows only the surface of a three dimensional object, unable to pierce the guarded shell we create. Gaze into your heart, and you'll find those scratches and bumps form a life patina that holds its own beauty. Find that beauty and you will surely love again.  -- Marcos Ifalola --

Contemplations on the Odu Ika Ofun

A barking dog charging towards a stranger
May seem a dangerous threat
Even when their only goal is to eventually unleash a

Torrent of gentle face licking
Playful banter can often be misconstrued for malice
When one reflexively reacts without
Deeper understanding and clarity of intent
A dogs language is not our own and
If misunderstood leads us to the
Wrong conclusion

Contemplations of the Odu Ofun Odi

We are not all created equal, but what makes us human is our ability to treat each other as equals.  If for no other reason, then in acknowledgement that change is the only constant and today's hegemony is tomorrow's history.   -- Marcos Ifalola

Contemplations on the Odu Iwori Oshe (iwori ose, iwori wowo)

We are all just one breath away from ruin, whether because of unexpected illness, financial or natural disaster or random acts of violence. Anyone who says their fame or fortune comes solely from hard work and does not factor in luck and happenstance is filled with a fool's hubris and delusions of grandeur and control. The only way we, as individuals and as a species, can survive, is to hedge our bets by nurturing community, and strengthening and extending our tribes.  If we help each other, we help us all.  -- Marcos Ifalola