Bara roams our streets
The ubiquitous grins
Vultures circles our skies
Our land painted in reds
The Folly laughs

Bara,
Okunrin kukuru, Okunrin gogoro
Okunrin peke bi ori atana
Esu abani woran bi a orida
A yi kondu seyin eleyin
O soro ana di moran
Koju ti mo.

Bara Visits
Our water, turned sour
His moist hands, he dips in our meal
Down he gulps our share
Hungry he leaves us.

Egunugun keeps watch
Praying to Bara for more
Orisanla, wisdom we pray for
To navigate through these tough times
For Bara has come to stay.

by Amudipe Opeyemi Marcus

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

Alani
Name of thunder sealed in silk
Where the sky wrote secrets in ancestral ink
Born not just of womb; but of word
A name that prays; that pierces; that’s heard

I wear my name like woven pride
From the paths of prophets my fathers stride
Ala ni... we own the gold of grace
Even the gods give way to my face

Alani; okunrin to n sun aaro meta
Man who dreams thrice before the dawn breaks better
my heart; a palace of praise
my lips; psalmed with poetic blaze

I am the whisper of warriors... the witness of winds
A woven will where wisdom begins
My name is a proverb; passed through fire
Still glowing bold like ancestral choir

Call me "not common"; I come from core
From palms that plant; from prayers that pour
I walk in wealth they cannot weigh
My name is a drumbeat that kings obey
Alani
I walk like myth; breathe like song
Even the moon hums my name all night long
my steps... sermons on sacred sand
my fingers... scrolls from spirit’s hand

I am power; pulse; poise and plan
From woven whispers of ancient man
Let the world know when they call me in,...
They summon a storm with a royal grin

To love Alani is to love a seasonless spring
To touch him is to wake everything
The stars wore envy the night I'm kissed
By fate; by grace; or  a lover’s mist

I am a spirit wrapped in skin
The holy hidden... deep within
A mystery only God decodes
Yet a comfort where love’s river flows

So let the world remember this
Alani is not a man alone; he’s bliss
He’s a poetry; a portal; a praise on feet
Where romance; reverence; and reign all meet