Blackbutterfly Soul Songs Read online

The path of destiny left its trace.

  Walking as soon as she could stand

  A milk bottle and cooking spoon in each hand.

  At five, a whirling midget of sugar and flour

  Crept in the kitchen after the midnight hour.

  Her offerings scrambled eggs baked bread

  Still dawn, Soul Daughter was supposed to be in bed.

  Precocious, cooked before her time

  Her internal clock in tune with her outer chime.

  Soul Daughter’s mama came from work

  The surprised teacher spun around with a jerk!

  Babysitter asleep on the couch for two hours

  Long enough for foraging in neighbors’ flowers.

  Dinner ready, bath run, table set

  Culinary child, changed clothes, no longer wet.

  Music, beauty, love, art around the walls

  An atmosphere that answers soul’s calls.

  On the descent from heaven

  Soul Daughter was only seven.

  The mama despaired, “If you must cook,

  I have to get you the right book.

  Babysitter gotta go, she’s a fool!

  Be careful until I get you a taller stool!”

  Soul Daughter fought boys at ten to protect her crew

  Strong as nails ’cause they all knew.

  She didn’t play around, but had to make

  Dinner for her mom which included a cake.

  A candy stripper at twelve, to aid the weak

  Teachers always wanted to hear her speak.

  The elders at church taught her much

  “Adding a pinch of sugar gives it a good touch.”

  At Howard, while deciding, a lawyer or not

  She took up books still managed the cooking pot.

  Smells and tastes soon came from dorm room

  California tacos soul fried chicken in full bloom.

  College internship in England she studies

  Courts, lawyers, law, the oppressed-her buddies.

  Cooking in this foreign, illicit space

  Home again, Soul Daughter accepted her place.

  With degree, little experience and no money in bank

  Soul Daughter used her spoon and a crank.

  From a college friend

  To open up Soul dining-a chef without end.

  Jimmy Swimmy: The Hero’s Gift

  The ancestors told Sweetie after a while

  “Do not despair my child.”

  They whispered, “Help is on the way

  Jimmy Swimmy with his gift today.”

  Who is Jimmy Swimmy? Where is he?

  Born with gifts to help others get free.

  Baptized himself when he was two

  Said to walk on the water, but who knew?

  Jimmy Swimmy began his work at six

  Surprised all he knew how to fix.

  A leaking wall around the town’s canal

  Repaired a sinking boat before it set sail.

  Jimmy Swimmy the hero got his name real soon

  By now rescuing others who were swimming in doom.

  Saved his brother who fell in the river

  Pounced Bill’s back as he choked on liver.

  At ten he saved his grandmama’s house

  Set on fire by her mean jealous spouse.

  Jimmy Swimmy alone dumped water on the roof

  Granddaddy’s burnt hand the final proof.

  Jimmy Swimmy rescued women and ladies

  Crying children and drowning babies.

  Swam ten miles to save a lost queen

  Stranded in the middle of an ocean stream.

  Jimmy Swimmy left home at sixteen

  Floated across state to become a United States Marine.

  A swimmer crafted from AfRaKan steel

  Cpl. Jimmy Swimmy had a strong will.

  At twenty Jimmy Swimmy sailed the ocean blue

  On leave came to town before time was due.

  Had received transfer papers for all points west

  In a bar met Sweetie Girl he liked best.

  Broken curfew threw Sweetie out in the flooding rain

  Jimmy Swimmy found a way, couldn’t stand her pain.

  “Get on board and we can marry!

  My name Mrs. Swimmy you can carry.”

  A hurricane followed them down the road

  This is the way the story was told.

  At parents’ house the wedding took place

  Honeymooned together in a sacred space.

  In Texas on the way out of the South

  A Ku Klux Klan threat sealed Sweetie’s mouth.

  “Don’t look back until you cross the line”

  Jimmy Swimmy was angry but fine.

  Sweetie didn’t know that Jimmy had a concealed gun

  The champion swimmer also a sharpshooting son.

  He raised weapon she lifted her magic sack

  If used, there would be no turning back.

  To sunny California Jimmy Swimmy and his new bride came

  The Watts riot another chance for fortune and fame.

  And Jimmy the hero forgot not his gift

  Help rioters loot and women to shoplift.

  In Los Angeles Jimmy Swimmy worked as a heroic cop

  Drugs, robbery and crime he would valiantly stop.

  As the young women continued to be in trouble

  Officer Swimmy rescues would double.

  One Friday Officer Swimmy on his usual patrol

  A block from home he received a 211 in process code.

  Soul Daughter and Sweetie held hostage at bank

  The robbers surrendered put them in the tank.

  At the Pacific Ocean Jimmy Swimmy lost control of his gift

  The sky blue water caused him to drift.

  He used to rescue the cold and needy

  He was now thigh deep in warm seedy.

  Separate lives were lived and energies were spent

  Both married again and to university they went.

  Occasionally they met and swam in the deep

  Love cried but Jimmy had promises to keep.

  Years later when Sweetie was not happy

  Soul Daughter re-minded her, “Call my pappy.”

  The hero with the gift that keeps giving

  Jimmy Swimmy rescued Sweetie’s living.

  Oriki (Soul Praise Song) to Obatala

  Lord of the Earth, Father of all human

  I praise you for intelligence and acumen

  Obatala, shaper of my destiny

  Keeps my head free of tyranny.

  Obatala, wearer of the white cloth

  Dress me in the wisdom of Thoth

  Don’t let the drunkardness of the world

  On me be forever unfurled.

  At meditation mountain, I seek your face

  It’s your character that I embrace

  My crown chakra is cleansed with truth

  Let harmony reign as it did in my youth.

  The cowrie shell, the diamond, the quartz and the snail

  Represents universal efforts to sail

  Past the lower world and ascend to the top

  Of consciousness and responsibility without stop.

  Obatala, lead orisha, may my soul reflect justice and purity

  Love, peace and then, security

  A cool head always the response to every call

  A wise word spoken in love, light given to all.

  Ase! May it be so!

  Oriki (Soul Praise Song) to Oya

  Oya, spirit of Niger River, nine tributaries queen<
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  Rainbow lightening in her burning wing

  Her tools: storms, tornados and the wind

  Bring change around every bend.

  Oya, the owner of the cemetery gate

  Keeper of death and manager of fate

  She who rules the market space

  This orisha can keep Shango in place.

  Brown-burgundy-purple all her color

  Nine the number she would not mother

  Her children their destinies would never be

  Born but their lives quickly flee.

  Oya’s fierce, tumultuous and appears mad

  Her reputation is still not bad

  Nine colored stars around her waist

  Forever a reminder just in case.

  Her followers forget that life

  Is full of love, purpose, change and strife.

  Oya’s sign Scorpio, Wednesday’s her day

  Her force is her wisdom, transformation is her way.

  Oya bringing her gifts disguised in the storm

  Though she offers much upheaval she means no harm.

  Yet the spirit of the wind must come forth

  She leaves in her departure an enlightened core.

  May the spirit of Oya fall on me

  Make my transformations at the cemetery tree.

  Where ancestors receive honor all day long

  And Oya’s followers break out in a praise song.

  Ase! May it be so!

  Oriki (Soul Praise Song) to Osun

  Osun, the river goddess, sacred grove queen of love

  Her golden lights of pleasure streaming from above

  A bejeweled butterfly, clothed in nature’s wear

  Sun yellow amber bronze splendid apparel and magnetic hair.

  The vulture her symbol, the mermaid her sign

  Osun’s the fresh waters of life, her golden love so divine

  Sweet oranges she savors and sucks with delight

  White wine her elixir, five her manifestations of light.

  Connected to royalty the queen butterflies greet

  The most high as they land on her gold-lined feet

  Birds follow her energy hearing her cry

  No longer flailing, rise up and fly.

  Osun comes with healing in her hands

  Her peacock feather cleanses all poisoned glands

  Scanning the trees, their leaves begin to grow

  Bathing in her water, the river begins to flow.

  Osun opens up the closed, feminine soul

  Renders to the timid, courage ever bold

  Extends to the dis-eased ones the mantle of peace

  Causes strife, wrath and troubles to cease.

  Childrem marvel at Osun’s soft touch

  Her healing salve is never too much

  Osun turns sad frowns to grateful smiles

  For her presence, all’s willing to walk the miles.

  Osun carries the drum in her heart

  Causes every blockage to depart

  Dances until the sun goes down

  This joy-maker is sought in every town.

  Osun, the transformer of life and love

  Possession of her power brings the peace of a dove

  Sees the radiance in all things

  Especially in the flapping of Osun’s butterfly wings.

  Ase! May it be so!

  Oriki (Soul Praise Song) to Meishusama

  meishusama love

  kannon man giver of light

  god’s ambassador

  believer in world peace

  forever global servant

  meishusama still

  a visionary mission

  the light from the east

  shines through passage of time

  forever speaking the truth

  meishusama taught

  hoisi benefit for all

  light workers give self

  brings a joyful heart all day

  makota the path to peace

  meishusama knew

  jyorei cleanses the life cords

  connects great orbs of soul light

  no clouds today thanks

  my soul feel happiness now

  meishusama’s life

  a reflection of God’s love

  art, beauty, nature

  ancestors, the unity

  we honor the gifts he gave

  Ase! May it be so!

  White Butterfly

  Translucent essence

  Fluttering

  Flipping

  Flopping

  Flowing

  Flinging

  Furling

  Falling

  Floating

  Flashing

  Flying

  Flapping

  The expanse of worlds

  to heights above

  earth below

  changing

  with

  the currents of time

  from an encased pupa

  to a transluscent chrysalis of pure light.

  In Memoriam: Tina Cachelle Bogan

  February 4, 1968-July 13, 2016

  Tina

  Traveling with bundles of love

  Drinking life’s fullness

  From the wells of laughter

  Spinning for grand baby

  From the grapes of cheerfulness

  A taste of happiness

  Tina

  Speaking words of truth

  A light in darkness

  Achieving eternal love

  Rapping a poem of joy

  Grand children cooing her song

  Her melody in their voice

  Tina

  Singing, dancing, traveling

  To heights unknown

  Ancestors calling

  Smiling she answers

  A flash of light

  That burns forever

  Tina.

  Artful Soul

  soul are you the one

  who snatches the artist’s heart

  uses the paintbrush

  to create an expression

  which colors the world with love

  Part V

  Personal Declarations of Soul

  followers

  souls coming forth now

  beautifying the glad earth

  bringing consciousness

  high examples of knowledge

  like children we follow them

  The 5 Scrolls: Five Organizing Principles

  1°

  2°

  3°

  4°

  5°

  Truth

  Meditation

  Unity

  Love

  Manifestation

  God/All/Good

  Maat/Source

  Law

  Practices

  To Access

  Inner soul

  Self/Soul /Oneness

  Initiation

  Cosmic Energy/Light

  Productions/

  Creations

  Now

  In meditation, during a period of heightened awareness, I received 5 scrolls to outline my soul’s personal declaration of my reality. Five words, in rapid succession, flashed on the screen of my mind: Truth, Meditation, Unity, Love and Manifestation. These five principles represented the distillat
ions of wisdom that were part of my study and practice. The 5 Scrolls contained antidotes/anecdotes to my identity and soul journey. The five entities became the motivating platform which I consciously chose to re-name, re-create and re-focus my life.’

  The more I became an observer of the soul awakening process, I became more aware of the episodic processes in my own life. I classified my researched material and soul experiences under the headings of these five recurrent themes. This recitative examination of Truth, Meditation, Unity, Love and Manifestation was accompanied by the involution, evolution and revolution of Divine Mind in me.

  These cyclic themes would resurface periodically and interplay intermittently in my life until great lessons were garnered. The valence of 5 seemed to pursue me. Five represents love, balance, manifestation, marriage and man. Closer scrutiny revealed that I always been a devout pursuer of numbers, colors, words, synchronicity-events that exhibited coincidence and at the same time paradox. I used the idea of synchronicity to describe the conceptual relationship of terms and experiences that frequented my attention during this period of my soul’s declaration project.

  These five themes of consciousness were of a circular context. All five phases could be occurring at one time or whatever individual quality that wanted to be accessed or assessed. Each theme had a dominant idea to elucidate. For example, the overall framework of the 5 scrolls represents the experiences that unfolded during the close examination of my life while at KRST Unity Center of AfRaKan Spiritual Science.

  At this spiritual center, I apprehended the truth about me, my culture, and what had happened to AfRaKan people the world over. Also at KRST, being a licensed metaphysical practitioner, I served as a skilled meditation leader for years. Unity is part of the name of the organization. I was given the name Shamala, “Spirit-given Love Queen” as I birthed love for self and all creation. Around the same time, a voice from inside of me whispered, “You are an artist and a visionary.” Soon, I began to manifest, heretofore, an unknown talent; I began to paint on canvas, walls and clothes. For me, this affirmed that when I opened up to my soul, my gifts and talents flowed unrestrained.

  Although separate, these wholistic principles operated both interdependently and intricately. These five recitative themes, perceptively different but constantly overlapping lessons, emerged as I sifted through the fragments of my life and my community. These 5 scrolls, along with soul urgings and ancestral influences, propelled me through a circuitous journey of re-membering, re-storing and re-loving my culture and myself.