LOVE IS A PRISON

My only Crime was loving you
And loving you too much too
But If this is a crime
I’ve done my time
Release me
Ease me
Out
Tell me what it’s all about
An outer whisper, an inner shout
Free me from insecurity and doubt.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

PEOPLE’S SIGNALS

Pay attention to the signals
That people give you;
Take them seriously -
The signals won’t deceive you.

No one says everything;
They leave it to you
To figure it out if you’re smart
And paying attention too.

And above and beneath it all
Your own inner voice
Will analyse the signals and more
And make its own choice.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

I FEEL DEEPLY

I feel things very deeply
If only people knew
I climb or fall very steeply
Intuition is my cue
A trigger is enough for a crash
A crash is enough for a lifetime
A lifetime is not enough, it’s just a flash
Among many flashes on a timeline
Of deeper inner feelings
And deeper inner healings.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

SMILING STILL

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

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

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

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

BE HONEST WITH PEOPLE UPFRONT

Be honest with people upfront. Because they are giving you their all, hoping you will accept it and believing you are the one. If you know you are not available for them or they are not what you seek, don’t let them plant their garden in your backyard and enjoy their fruits for a while before brutally uprooting them when you’ve had enough, or when they now want to enter the house, or when the one or thing you really want shows up. You cause a deep pain in the universe and open a wound in their hearts that will bleed for lifetimes thereafter. Be honest with people upfront. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t say things you don’t mean or that aren’t REALLY real. If it’s not what you really want or if you’re not really sure, say it truthfully, keep your distance or break it off at once. You will gain a friend, and respect, for life, down the line.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Undulating Plains