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

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

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

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

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 

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?

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