I whisper praise songs to Oshun,

Iya Mi Ile Odo.

My mother's house is the river.

I follow the river's eternal path,

traversing its grassy shores

in search of familiar signs:

The domed huts of the Western Bantu

The fortresses of Great Zimbabwe

The Igbo, The Fon, The Yoruba, The Ashante.

I close my eyes,

beckoning the ancestors with my thoughts.