Don‘t hurry through life
Like a sunset eager to vanish –
Try to catch the moments as they occur

Let each footstep leave an imprint
On your soul. Let each word,
No matter how harsh, fatten your
Inner dictionary. And let each slap
Carve a tribal mark on your cheeks,
That the light of contemplation may run
Like trains of deep thought through
The furrowed tracks above your eyes.

When you smile
From the depths of trial
It will go the extra mile
And linger, linger a while longer
And the older you get, the younger
You will become and stronger
In your ability to love.
Love quickly and love slowly
The high and the lowly.
Love them all. Wholly.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river