One thing about life Patterns repeat themselves Next thing about life Patterns repeat themselves Another thing about life Patterns repeat themselves Until you break them. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Of challenges
LOOKING EVERYWHERE
When people find what they are looking for They find it’s not what they are looking for And then they begin to look for Clarity about what they are really looking for. And they look for clarity everywhere, In everything, in every way, they dare Every adventure, no matter how rare, Every experience that might get them there. Because the possession of clarity About one’s path and identity Is the actual meaning of true life-quality And the paramount shaper of reality. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE EARTH SCHOOL
There are some people Who just don’t deserve good people, Yet good people will be meet them Because they’re a part of the system; There’s nothing you can do about that. As long as you walk this earth, You deserve every experience you get; You signed up for it before birth And now you have to run the gauntlet - There’s nothing you can do about that. Welcome to the school of maturing, Of pain, temptation, of debt incurring - But you CAN conquer after long enduring. Now I don’t know if you find this reassuring, But there’s nothing you can do about that. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
MY PATH
I‘m just on my lonely path But very few people know And even those that know Still don’t really know Because how can you know What I don’t truly show? The nature of my sorrow The depth of my flow For I still have many miles to go In my search for tomorrow And only I truly know The loneliness of my path. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
FIGHT TO LIVE
Fight to live Force yourself to forgive Weigh what you give Let it come from the heart But let it not be too heavy Not everyone can bear the weight Of your true inner state There’s a lot on your plate But others have their own plate too Be light sometimes Be easy sometimes Let people smile sometimes When they think of you As they too fight to live. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
YOU CANNOT
You cannot be a man - or a woman - And go through the world Without the world going through you You cannot deal with people Without people dealing with you You cannot tackle your task Without your task tackling you You cannot handle issues Without issues handling you You cannot finish your mission Without your mission finishing you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
HURT
Love hurts. Life hurts. People hurt. People hurt people. And hurt people hurt people. And when it hurts too much People begin to avoid the touch The inner touch Sometimes they permit the outer touch But only perfunctorily as such Because even it hurts too much. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
VANISHING
Don’t come back after I’ve got used to your absence
Your absence has become your strongest presence
If you return too late you’ll only find yourself gone
Replaced by memory, you’ll be the invisible one.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
BE WHO YOU ARE
It does not matter who your father is,
Or was. It only matters who you are;
Throw off the reputational burden of his
Life, whether a nobody, a crook or a star.
It does not matter who your mother is,
Was, or will be. You have your own destiny.
Be firm in rejecting her spirit’s liabilities,
Nor bask in her glory. Write your own story.
Never ever allow family to be your bondage.
If wealth is not health, detach and go higher.
The chains of name, blood, and heritage
Are human assumptions, not God’s desire.
God wants each unique creature to be true,
So experience and enrich the world as You.
Free your children too from the Obligation to
Follow, serve, help, complete or redeem you.
If your story happens to be your family’s too,
Then so be it, that’s who you genuinely are.
But if your story is totally different and new,
Don’t feel guilty; accept and be who you are.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
ALL BECAUSE OF LOVE
We make mistakes And mistakes make us Who we are This is who we are We make decisions And decisions make us What we are This is what we are We make friends And friends make us How we are This is how we are We make love And love makes us Why we are This is why we are. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 