A heart of gold And you will walk many miles In the biting cold Warmed by memories of smiles May your heart be bold And wise to wade through the wiles And guiles and keep smiling still As you trudge on up Hurting Hill. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
English
RIGHT THINGS
Do the right things And do the things right Spread your light wings And make your wings light Whatever the flight brings Inner buoyancy brings flight Up into the bright rings Where happiness rings bright. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
ACHING
Deep inner feelings of love are possible The love that causes the heart to ache is possible The love you cannot forget is possible The love that is stronger than you is possible The love that changes you is possible You just have to meet the right person To experience the incredible aching With or without Heartbreaking. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
RE-CODING MANHOOD
I never again want to be that man, the one that a woman is lying to another man in order to come and spend time with me. Because I will always think of that other man and know the excruciating pain he will feel if he ever suspects something he cannot prove. And if he doesn’t suspect anything and thinks he is with a loyal partner, then I will be the one to feel the excruciating pain on his behalf. I never want to be that man, the one that encourages or condones a woman lying to another man in order to come and spend time with me. For humanity to grow, the code of manhood has to change and become noble and knightly, boldly honest and full of dignity. I want to be the man who speaks the truth and to whom the truth is spoken. Any woman who deceives someone else in order to come and give herself to you, is not a good woman. She has given you a poisoned chalice. Be a man whose most intimate communication is truth, who speaks truth and to whom truth is spoken. Re-code the manhood within you, so we can lift up this world again.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Undulating Plains
NICE PEOPLE LIE TOO
Nice people lie too And when they do They defend it with determination For fear of losing their reputation. Once you start with a lie You have no choice But to continue to deny Using your false voice And you become hard And you become cold And you put up your guard And you grow old It was worth it, I guess, To have wrongly said Yes - It would be sad to have killed your soul For nothing, and miss your true goal. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
FORGET IT
How humility can guide you To find yourself if you let it - How anger can ride you To death if you won’t forget it - Forget it, it’s done and gone, Your pain is the healing kind - When you lost her, you won A deeper heart, a higher mind. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
HEARTS NEED TIME
The heart needs a long time To understand that someone is gone. Decades after the death bells chime, The heart still waits for the loved one To come back home. The heart needs a long time Because hearts are built for eternity. Loving is more violent than crime, You’ll be sentenced to immortality As you wander and roam Trying to come back home. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
REPEAT
It’s like 10,000 years away It’s like you went away On that fateful day It repeats itself everyday. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
MANY STORIES
You have enemies you don’t know, They get to your friends behind your back. Those friends whose friendship was hollow Succumb to them and join in their attack. You have friends you don’t know, They‘re there for you when you need them most. They fight your fight, share your sorrow, Rejoice with you, sometimes invisibly like a ghost. You are not and never alone, You are a part of many stories and memories; Your life is an enrichment of someone else’s own And is enriched by others’ and their testimonies. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
