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S Olson Dec 2017
this is not my life. we are fighting, as though
we are happy, but.my dad is
dying. i love him. as though i am a child.
as though i were a sapling at his root.
as though i were a construct of his being
as i am
i am
happy. as though i am a child. i am giving
as i will not take what i cannot give him
in his grave. he is wilting, as i realize i am
alive, and i will give him every inch of every
root that i am, constructed on the skeleton
he has given me. with life. within himself
as he is
he is
happy. as though he were a child forever.
as though he were a mighty spread tree.
as though we could love each other
beyond the end.
Esu
Esu Lanlu
Esu Elegbara
Esu Odara
Esu, the scared child of heaven
Esu, a reviled, respected,
Yet misunderstood being.
Esu, all creations dance to your best of life
Esu Dagunro
Esu Lukuluku
Esu Apagbe
Esu, the quickest and fastest one
Esu, confuser of many
Esu, the disruptor of order
Esu, the iconic one
Esu, the master of linguistics
Esu, the conciliatory peacemaker
Esu, the divine alchemist
Esu, the trickster
Esu, the pusher of those,
Who doesn't carry Olodumare's wishes.
Esu, the inseparable friend of Orunmila
Esu,
Papa Legba
Legba Atibon
Kalfou
Papa La Bas
Esu, divine messenger of transformation
Esu, ebora to luti la nbo
Esu, Okunrin ori ita
Esu, a quick responder when consulted
Esu, divine messenger of the gods
Esu Odara, the divine one of Ose Otura
Esu, carrier of the ase of sensuality and fertility
Esu Lanlu, king of dance
Esu, keeper and imparter of ase
Esu, the fundamental Orisa
Esu, the manifest of greatness
Esu, the one who is as hard as Rock
Esu Akeregbaye
Esu, the shedder of blood who knows no one's tears
Esu, the controller of earth
Esu, the special middle man between heaven and Earth
Esu, the anointed rope to success and wealth
Esu Lanlu
Esu Elegbara
Esu Odara

Written by Tosan Oluwakemi Thompson
This poem I wrote titled "Esu" is an eulogy to Esu and the praises of Esu.
Hal Loyd Denton Jan 2012
Incantation
Strange was the night the harvest moon would serve as the pumpkin dark foreboding grips his heart as he walked what evil brewed
There were those recurring stories they were filled with mist had a groggy affect you slipped between the calm to the terrifying
Was it true did it really happen he was set to find out he always fancied himself as an investigator one who could probe the stewed
First he must find his way into the incandescing glow there he would separate fact from fiction at the very door of Haitian voodoo

He was set to meet Papa Legba he was in the form of an old man the gate keeper to the spirits and their world nonsense or truth
An old grass shack was where he had been instructed to go he entered saw a few ceremonial items setting on a crude altar
One thing for sure this god was not rich but devilment requires not earthen wealth but the souls of it followers behold the sooth
This babbler this one who transfixes minds on moon lit nights weaves the web no one will ever escape from and why would they

Come to this foreign chasm an opening that invites ever yawning behold its misteh mysteries dare not be afraid you will be wise
Here the weak are made strong the dead assist the living feel the cold clammy hand that desires to engulf you just surrender
The candles they will bring bondje or bon diea French for good god see him coming from the water under the sea oh great one rise
Tell us your humble servant what to do to own the night never to be frightened again by any circumstance you are foresworn as victor

Get on with it face your enemies send forth the vestiges of confusion the essence of delusion they will unknowingly do your bidding
It comes like a tidal wave the power oh what sway it holds you in its dark embrace moods enliven oh how it pervades stunning
There are no bounds no end this was what you were created for rifle the world all contents of moral chains forgotten are you kidding
One small thing our agreement has a catch put forth your hand the ceremonial knife must sacrifice tonight I’m the only one here nooo

Voodoo has mystery one to die for look well into your own soul on this evil Halloween night
zebra Mar 2017
theres a juncture
a crossroad
ask
Papa Legba
voodoo god
doorway to the loa
and Baudelaire
poet extraordinaire
when youthful passions and eroticism are sullied
and pretty pretty flies away
from years used up
and gravities command
a slow draying
suffocates leaps of consciousness
and leaves in its wake
belly bloats sagging gut
callouses
****** lines
slowing metabolism
and a host of other accumulated degradations

cruel revelations unpeel the chilled soul
as the light of the body is eroded
by time
and the horror of solitude sets in

a conjunction of creeps moon and Venus
show us new enticements
Satan's *** nail
an independent morality
flowers of evil
the eroticism of aesthetic suffering.
like idle hands in something filthy to ******
the glistening buttery *** of youth gone by
and in its place
forbidden undulations of dark dreams
and the beauty of ****** horror

or what then may i ask
the imagine-less drab canvass
of the castrated high minded middle class?
RW Khalid Curley Jan 2015
Pounding Rhade rhythms knock on many doors
                                  spirits curl upon the world tree
                                       open portal,  Poteau Mitan
                                             axis between worlds
                                  access to the land behind the mirror

                                         bodies gyrate, caper madly,
                          steeds of flesh,  wild-eyed and flecked with foam
                                       absent of self await the riders
                           tightened goat hides rumble forbidden prayers
                                       summoned spirits mount the lucky

                                      Legba, doorman, admits the few
                                                   stamping beasts
                                    Ogun, warrior, tests with savage fury
                                                strong hearts’ courage
                                     Accompong, judge,  gives the verdict
                                                  Who will be blessed?
                                                  Who will be ridden?

                                              chalices gibber in the black
                                                      lolli­ng tongues
                                                      whi­tened eyes
                                                  give evidence of favor

                                     a gift of knowledge from the undead
                                               people behind the mirror
Does Ralia remember my face?
Baba Legba
Does his car still work at Oke-Imosan?
I left unexpectedly
I tarried with my ancestors

Bami owon,
Is Amope still crying?
I didn't tell her goodbye
Are her eyes still sour of tears?

Did Olokun come visiting?
Has he brought some fish as usual?
Maami are you still weeping?
Maami weep not

Is Kolade still a talkative?
The farm land,
Does Mokola still go there to plough?
Uncle Ajanaku,
Does he still stare at Oke-Eferon river?

My friend Arabambi,
Do you still miss me?
I am certain you still eat ebiripo
Whenever the town crier passes by,
Does he still make jest of Ajani's bow legs?

Pankelemess,
Do you still trouble your mother?
Does the brown owl
Still sit on your roof at night?
Gbolahan can't you hear me?

I am here
My ancestor's home is pretty
It has shimmer of gold
It rested upon paradise
Songs of joy I sing

My last goodbyes
Is our Kabiyesi still bedridden?
My last surrender
I am home
Yet I lay easy

Written by Tosan Oluwakemi Thomson
This poem shows a deadman asking questions after his demise.
Take a sip with the co-host,
Yo be yosef, chef and the ghost,
Smoking the most,
Dusty albums, no plays on the shelves, up the bass to twelve,
Decibels, feel the disciples,
Play with automatic rifles,
To haters, talking spiteful,
You so pitiful, suckas can't come off lyrical,
The conflicts crucials, can't dodge, the swords, blades of glory,
Eradicate ya ******, place this on the top ten,
See me next to Big Ben, one hundred, the clocks is running,
Times almost up, check the smooth cut, say what?,
Bogard the studio, when I hear the instrumental, poetic aesthetics,
Words prophetic, haters don't get it,the flows forbidden,
Kicked out the garden of Eden, when I started believing,
Cleaving, onto wisdom then some,
Shot out of the web,
One love to mom Deb, see me step, like Fetchin,
From the bullets, snapping from every direction, hits like a *******,
*****,
Can't push me, guard it down like Kobe, lyrical Shinobi,
Told yall, I control thee,
Mics skills, iced grills, feel these cold chills, laid on the hills,
Golden wine, ****** when I get too much Christ,-
Al we all have a ball, summer time to fall, laid up in the winter,
Voyage with me, to the center,
Of the crown chakra, hats that drop ya, word to Legba,
Latinas call me papi Pappa,
The true don dada, **** hoes who wear Prada, haters get a nada,
Don't try to step, to the godfather,
Bounded by the crystals, in my intellectual, **** a bisexual,
Chicks, don't play with *****,
Only myself, if I'm feeling it,
Hold up, cut the verse out, we bout to break out, like a peel out,
Y'all love to chase clout, I chase the money routes,
Stocks like Vanguard to Black rock,
So ya know I stay hard,
Two pits and a saint Bernard to guard, my colossal,
Mansion check the expansion,
I'll leave heads ringing,
Charles Manson, check the new rap anthem, connect like tandems,
My guns don't jam son,
Word up, this hits deep up in ya guts, stomach achin',
Awaken, from the supreme god taken,
All souls, down into the valley scrolls, know ya role,
Lounging on top of the seven cities,
Golden hill, let the words spill,
Vibrate ya melons, til ya feel,
The words that thrill,
The average nay sayer, not a player or a hater, I stay classic as Sega,
The sage continues, Wu making venues, cosmical values,
Got props from the, Parliament crew,
Dap up my homies, on the avenue,
Down the red, white and blue,
Solja rags, hot tags, got ******* to bag, **** with us,
You'll be in bags, trash took out, see us look out,
For each other, sister to brother no other, lay this beat as gutter,
Try to test the mic, only to end up in a permanent stutter,
Yo check it black Greek mythology brace the ology no apology
And its probably me you should be worried about laid prophecies
Still playing poor Georgie refugees In my country skip the county
Quick ****** bounty masked ski times me murders done Swifty
About a buck fifty never tell on my self auto to heavys on the shelf
Top chef cooking rhymes from a deep divine seven chakra kind
**** mankind I was raised in slim amongst the world curls
Still being lifted up my cup runneth up math measures the corrupt
Johnny dangerous no longer can harm us surplus guns flush
Out ya ****** fluids wicked as a druid who could out do it
Pen sitting like a warden understate rated Batman to Gordon
Can't touch me man understand the papers is my weapon kept in
A place only for the resurrection check it it's the black Gods blessin



Shed knowledge to a title rip vocals to ya spinal side show
Peep holes of enemies souls placed up like a window
Out goes my indo extort the info like my women cocoa
****** break any scenario master mind crazy mafiaso
Tight fist swing like a blade thousand of mental grenade
I could raid Capitol Hill with mad praise dummies phased
By the wicked I clock ticket pass picket Wilson gruesome
Thy kingdom thy will be done on earth as Yosef girths
A worth **** the mirths demons still giving births exert
Hate all over the four corner spread layin lyrics to ya head
Record what I said verses invoke the darkest curses
Rakim follower legba borrower melanin quick to devour ya
Paragraph of words massacre a wordsmith master disaster
Strikes bust in rhymes 1996 hard times crime raised by design
Never judge led books stay to my head it's like bullets bred
For the birth of a new state of mind holding grind block shine
Haters of struggle muzzle ya guzzle broke from life's puzzle

— The End —