Contemplation on the Odu Iwori Aweda ( Iwori Ogunda )

I leaf through my emotions
like pages in a dusty tome
edges frayed from years of use
Dust jacket creased and torn
each year brings a new chapter
to the novel of my life
At times I pick up where I left off
seeing new adventures unfold
other times I re-read known passages
to find new meaning
only time and distance can provide
or simply to remind myself of what I know
Such a book
yellowed and worn
a traveler across time and space
by my side always
thrown into my pack
taken trekking to far off lands
then placed carefully at my bed side
to be read in those times alone
sometimes shared freely
sometimes revealed in stolen glances
each year it seems you get heavier
and I more frail and weary
but I will continue to carry you
until that day when weight does not matter
and I begin to write the tome
of my existence
in a language unknown to this world
across the midnight sky
perhaps if you listen closely
you will hear my story
within your heart
-- Marcos Sanchez -- Inspired by "the gravel road" by James Newton Howard (listen to it while reading) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ro4FHd51t4

Contemplation on the Odu Ogunda Osa (ogunda sa, ogunda masa)

There is no journey more difficult
then the journey within.
Taken without compass, guide or destination
it can seem a lonely desolate path
but with open heart and clear mind
even the darkness can eventually give way to the light
and the realization that
it's not our end
but our path
that defines us.
We all end the same way
but what we do en route is what we are remembered for...

-- Marcos Sanchez -- Inspired by sufi poet Shams Tabriz and "you" by Nils Frahm https://soundcloud.com/selftitledmag/nils-frahm-you (listen while reading)

Contemplation on the Odu Okanran Oyeku

I can't relate
to what you are saying
though I'm sure you think I understand
I can't comprehend
the thoughts in your mind
though I'm sure you know I understand
I can't feel
the emotions you're conjuring
though I'm sure you believe I understand
Your lips move
your eyes flutter
your arms wave
your body shakes
and yet
no matter how right you think you are
you haven't moved me
Perhaps it's because you're talking AT me
instead of TO me
Or maybe I've just shut down
in response to your emotional tirade
of venomous hissing
As you turn my heart to stone
I muster the courage of Perseus
to cut you off
with a polite
"no thanks,
I'm not buying"
You see
a pile of dung
no matter how poetic the euphemism
is still
a pile of dung

Contemplation on the Odu Osa Oshe (osa she, osa che, osa oche)

Ifa is not the answer
Ifa is a question
If you are told differently
check your pockets
there is likely something missing

Contemplation on the Odu Okanran Osa

Had I known
what I know now
yesterday
my tomorrow might be different
and my today
filled with a life
of actions
and few regrets,
But too often
it's only in our last hours
that we gain perspective
born of the knowledge
that what we have
will cease to be
and we will dream no longer
Drink my friend
with me
from the river of regret
so that we no longer thirst
for things we once hoped for
but instead
become intoxicated with life
and live the lives we were meant to live

Contemplation on the Odu Oshe Otura

I met him on a trail
hand still in the air
he decided it a good place to land
I raised his head to mine
so we could talk
about things
travels
life
and we decided to take a walk
he and I
contemplating the impermanence of life
the beauty of the forest that surrounded us
and after spending 2 days of his lifetime with me
he decided it was time to leave
the longest 5 minutes I'd spent in many years
I won't forget my companion
who was so giving with his knowledge
a wise old butterfly
you have taught me much

-- Marcos Ifalola Sanchez

Contemplation on the Odu Osa Owonrin

Where there is money
There will be scandal
Where there is power
There will be corruption
Such is the nature of people
Blindly running towards fame and fortune
Across minefields strewn with bodies
Scorning those that failed as simpletons
While believing they have outsmarted chance
Until that last step when
having survived
they realize they've not mastered desire
and found no fulfillment
no matter their accomplishment
but instead
are left standing in the middle of the minefield
with fewer bodies
more untouched mines
and no clear path
-- Marcos Ifalola Sanchez