Among different struggles and journeys
The vortex of feeling, labyrinths of deep thought,
Whether poor or not, can get lost on rich imagination
As we trample along this battered fragile old earth,
Oya lady of the storms, black as the night
Dances with the winds, feminine to the core,
Strong and fierce creating hurricanes and tornadoes
She is the wild spirit beyond destruction,
Turbulently unpredictable, beware of her power
Beyond reason, authentic and unique,
A weather goddess who waters the garden
To fertilise, make the land lush and green,
Rich juices, dripping deeply to endure
Creating seeds of transition and change,
With precision stripping away what must die
In order for the harvest to be abundant,
Elemental and rooted in the natural world
Occupying realms of rainbows and thunder,
Can either shelter us in her loving embrace
Or strike us down with licentious lightening,
Allowing tempests to rise, whirl beside us
In morning or twilight, lost in sybaritic storm,
On the brink of eternity, splashed with stars
Dawn till dusk, she will take our breath away.
Footnote:
Oya is one of the most powerful African Goddesses (Orishas), She is the sister/wife of the God Shango.The Dark Mother Goddess of Storms and Destruction of the Yoruba People in West Africa as well as the Americas. In Yoruba, the name Oya means "she tore". She is known as Oya-iyansan, the "mother of nine" due to the River Niger ( known to the Yoruba as the Odo-Oya) which is known for having nine tributaries, where violent rainstorms are said to be the source. She is also worshiped In Brazil and Cuba and is associated with the Amazon whose source she is said to be. Her followers are distinguished by a particular kind of reddish beads that are always tied around their necks.When summoned by prayer she empowers mistreated women, and engenders feminine leadership.
Never ingratiating, she is also believed to protect and guide the dead as they make the transition to a new life. Using her machete, or sword of truth, she cuts through stagnation and clears the way for new growth, she does what needs to be done, a powerful harbinger of change and transformation. She is similar to the Haitian God Maman Brigitte, who is syncretised with the Catholic Saint Brigit.
