The last shall think they’re the First And the first shall think they’re the Last This is the nature of human vanity You are not the First but the last, many there are that came before you. Life has an incredible age. You are not the Last but the first, many they are that will come after you. Make way and leave the stage. We are each just a part of the whole, Space-wise, time-wise, content-wise; Humility alone will perfect our human unity. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
English
COME CLOSER
I don’t like to get too near to people Because it pushes me far away from them; When you get really close to the moon, You see a gloomy rock, not a glowing gem. Yet, courage!, wanderer, be bold of heart! One who will find must seek everywhere, Must brave the ugly to discover deep beauty At the core of the things we love and fear. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
BEFORE YOU
You always think you’re the first When you are young, How startling it is when you grow up To realise you were wrong. So many people before you Have these same heights traversed - Some recorded, many unrecorded, Their stories long dispersed. Tread the earth with humility, O modern day human; Stonehenge and Egypt’s pyramids Transcend our acumen. And when you are still young, Be thankful as you add new value, For you’re building on the foundation Of all that came before you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE END NEVER ENDS
The character of the end One month passes one year passes 10 years pass Still no sight no word no message No communication That’s when it sinks in That was really the end He is gone Gone for good. The disappearance of friends Ends are Not Trends The heart never mends The end never ends. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
CHANGE CHANGES CHANGE
There is something about change Once it starts, it is irreversible The inexorable march is strange Like a Divine verdict incontestable You see it happening yet you cannot stop it When you try to stop it you only develop it Even faster and make yourself expendable. There is something about change It is is surreal. Unreal. It is strange. Change changes the parameters of change And never changes in the same way. Change changes change But never changes it in the same way. And never stops changing. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
TIME DOES NOT CHANGE THINGS
Time doesn’t change things, they stay as they are. Events change things. Experiences change things. Things change things. Not time. Time only changes the outer appearance of the form of things.
Sometimes a thing that seems like it will last forever only lasts a short time and then changes, because the thing or event that will change it met it early.
While sometimes an other thing that seems flimsy and ephemeral stays unchanged for eternities, because the thing or experience that will change it has not yet met it.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
WAY BACK HOME
Don‘t mourn me when I die Wave me goodbye I will be going home If I miss my way home Then I will come Back again to retry. So don’t mourn me when I die I did not come to stay I came here to find my way Back Home. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
BEYOND PAIN
Pain they say is your friend But it is also your enemy. Be careful when it starts to bend, It can break you completely. Take small breaks from your pain Every once in a little while. Laugh at yourself or with a friend - If you can’t laugh, smile. Tell pain enough is enough When you’ve learned your lesson. After washing, turn the shower off And you can now start dressing Up, stepping out and showing up, Changing your narrative. Not pain but joy is the overflowing cup That we drink to eternally live. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
LAUGHTER IS NOT MIRTH
Laughter is not mirth
Fame is not worth
Friendliness is not friendship
Fronting is not leadership
Distance is often the closest vicinity
From which to clearly see
The true nature of a person’s humanity.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
CACOPHONY OF ABSENCE
There is a cacophony of crowd That is calming to the soul Happy humanity buoyantly loud Making its empty parts whole When lungs are full of hearts And hearts are crowded with mirth And mirth is the song that charts The path that longed for our birth But even in the loudest throng I hear your silence echoing A dull throbbing of something wrong The wind of strange bellowing And where the multitudes gather There I see your absence clearly In the throes of the happiest banter I quietly miss you dearly. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 