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

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

Contemplation on the Odu Obara Oshe (obara ose)

The truth is simple
words are the illusion

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

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 

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

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