We tried to stick together
Because we’re family
But if we’re trying to stick together
Then we’re not family
Family does not stick together
Family connects friends
And lends them wings.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
English
RIVER KNOWLEDGE
Let‘s ride the River, my friend,
like a galloping horse
The intuitive river has no end,
let’s ride it to its source
We will go mad along the way
And in our madness
We will find once again the way
Out of our sadness
And those that have
Will long to have the freedom
Of those that don’t
And those that don’t
Will long to have the wisdom
Of those that have
Have knowledge.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
IT TAKES A NEIGHBOURHOOD
I like them both The two sides of Black The one that is woke And the one that looks back I like both of them The two sides of Black The one full of flame And the one that’s laid back I like the Black that plays I like the Black that fights I like the Black that prays I like the Black that delights I like the Black that segregates I like the Black that integrates I like the Black that separates I like the Black that tolerates It’s all Black and it’s all good It takes a village and a neighbourhood. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
DON’T HURRY THROUGH LIFE
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
JUST START
Don’t wait for the urge. Just start. Starting IS the power surge Straight from your heart. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
DRAW YOUR SECOND BREATH
When I first came to Germany, I died, slowly and gradually. And - this is the worst part - I died alone, inside my heart. Some might say it is a death Akin to the planted seed That dissolves inside the earth En route to being freed; Freed from the past and the old - The path to growth into the new. But death is empty, dark, cold. And lonely. I never knew. There is a path that leads back to life; Beware - it is more painful than death And it too with loneliness is rife From which will emerge your second breath. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
JUST KEEP MOVING
The shadows were short
But not for long –
Rest a little, but don’t abort,
And then move along –
The sunrays that once hurt
Will soften into bird song.
You can be sometimes weak
You can be sometimes wrong
You can be sometimes meek
When you’re strong.
Whether you’re old or young
Whether you’re normal or a freak,
Just be strong
And keep on moving on
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
SELF-MADE
At the end I‘ll be happy with myself For healing myself by denying myself. This is the mystery of the Self That liberates itself by controlling itself And binds itself by indulging itself, Because whatever becomes of yourself You did it to yourself. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
A HEART FULL OF MEMORIES
We came we went And the time spent Was like a drop of memory In a few people’s story Who themselves are gone too And, if not yet gone, are going too. If you have a heart Now is when to start Keeping record in there Of what you’re doing here On this planet distant and blue - Your memories are for you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE MIRROR RIVER
A mirror is a river.
Think not that what you see
Is your image reflected.
What you see is your mirage projected
To what you want or no longer want to be.
To get there or to come back
You have to follow the river
From your source to your sea.
To get here or to go back
You have to cross your river
Of pain, vanity and complacency.
Your mirror is your prophecy.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 