Contemplation on the Odu Ika Oshe

People want magic to fit in a bottle

But most often it doesn’t

Magic at its best is

Messy 

Contemplation on the odu Ika Ogunda

I stand

Center stage

Blinded by a flood of light

Hoping to be heard

Dreaming of acceptance

That will never come

Shamans live

In forests

On mountains

Invisible even amongst the masses

Being other

Is the gift and curse of

Sight

Silently I scream before opening

My mouth

In roaring whispers I

Paint pictures of humanity

Upon your eardrums

Forcing you to reconcile

Your truth

With truth

A vengeful angel of mercy

Wreaking havoc with the 

Building blocks of your 

Moral constructs

I pray for you

For us all

In poetic streams

While guiding you towards the

Edge of rapture

Performing a slight of word

Before disappearing

Leaving you to question

What is real

What is dream

What is truth

As you leave the performance

Bewildered

Wondering

How did I get here

What does this mean

Who am I

Really

New contemplation on the Odu Otura Meji

I am alone
This room is cold
Silence wraps me tightly
Unclear whether my eyes are open
My sight betrays only the darkness that surrounds me
Entombed in a void of my own creation
Screaming and shouting
Harsh obscenities
At no one
I reach deep inside
Move through my throat
Into the recesses of my tangled soul
Desperately clawing my way through the madness until
My hand reaches that flickering light
Pulling frantically upwards
Releasing a beauty
Into the world
So I might
See
I was born
Then I was reborn
Created from broken pieces
Swept up after each bone crushing fall
A mosaic of understanding
Enlightened mind
Clear sight
Alive
I will never be alone
When wisdom is my companion
I was reborn so I can
Live

Contemplation on the Odu Irosun Oyekun

There are some doors
We must walk through alone
Open only for an instant
Before vanishing
One step forward and
We become one
With everything
And
Nothing
This world of slumber
Is permanently wiped
From our eyes
So we can finally
Grab the key
Unlocking
Eternity

Ifalola's Odu Ifa poetry book review

Alaafia all,

A break from the usual poetry to offer up this wonderful review of my book "This poem called life: Contemplations on Odu Ifa".

Marcos Ifalola Sanchez's poems are the result of deep contemplation upon the wisdom of the Odu of Ifa. In fact, they can serve as a kind of commentary on the Odu of Ifa for those familiar with the latter, and an accessible introduction for those yet to become acquainted with Ifa. Practical, playful, profound, and piercing, Sanchez's poetry reflects the beauty of the verses of Ifa, but in an idiom, and with a charm, all of its own.
-Oludamini Ogunnaike
Professor of African Religious Thought and Democracy at
The University of Virginia

Thanks so much Professor Ogunnaike!

To purchase your copy, please visit https://www.blurb.com/b/8256683-this-poem-called-life .  Thanks for your support and don't forget to spread the word. 

O'dabo!

Contemplation on the Odu Otura Ogunda

It's still
Out here
Lying in the grass
Looking up at the night sky
Body hurtling through space
A million miles an hour
Quickly going nowhere in particular
I am humbled by the thought that
Even a state of rest
Is a state of extreme motion
The immensity of it all
Reminds me
How meaningless it is to hate
How insignificant it is to fight
How pointless it is to divide
We live on this rock as one
We die on this rock as one
Why not choose to spend
What little time you have
Making everyone’s journey
Through space
A beautiful one
Do something
Anything
To spark
Love
Then sit back
And enjoy the
Fireworks

Contemplation on Iwori Ogunda aka Iwori Aweda

There is a magic that lives
In the space where
Survival meets opportunity
A spark that when ignited
Breathes life into the lifeless
Pulling us back from the brink of
Extinction
Those who possess this gift
Know Esu expects his due
A conjurer's toll for traveling between the
Light and dark
An inescapable shadow
Forever attached to our soul
It's the cost of
Doing what is necessary
No matter how unpleasant
In order to see another day