The river is running The river of blood Swallowing up, drowning The kwashiorkor road A finger on a trigger Is going to pull one day Mushroom clouds bigger Than any from yesterday. The time has come again To learn how to survive And stand alone in your pain If only you are left alive Children torn from parents Friends and families will scatter In wars between governments Of people who think they matter. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Of Conflict
AGE OF DAMAGE
This is a war that has been waiting to happen They don’t love each other and never did They are not forgiving each other deeds overlapping Generations whose hatred they never hid They send missiles to greet each other The way you and I send words to one another When we’re angry and pain does not bother To differentiate between strangers and brothers It is the age of damage The stage of rage and carnage Angry birds in an iron cage Trapped in rampage. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
AVERSION
It’s always amusing to me When in the midst of a White Sea I see one Black face And when he or she sees me They seem to panic visibly And avert their face Avoiding eye contact completely And seem to be begging me Not to look at their face Immersed in their White company Proving hard to them their loyalty. To save their face After looking at them thoughtfully For a while, I walk past them gently With a calm face Because we don’t altercate publicly We will do that when next we see Face to face. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
YOUR STRENGTH
When they hit The reason why it doesn’t hurt is not because it’s soft but because you’re tough to the core. Laugh the loudest When they hit you the hardest Stand the proudest When you face their mockery test Your strength won’t bring you victory Your strength IS your victory. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
DON’T WAIT FOR PERFECTION
Don’t wait for perfection Before you set off Imperfection is what you need To make you tough! The world is wild and windy The way is very rough For the one who seeks fulfilment This is enough. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
PERFECTION IS FOR THE COWARDLY
Perfection is for the cowardly Perfection is for the vain Perfection is for the insecure Afraid of the rugged terrain Perfection is for the talentless Unable to handle the unknown Perfection is for the clueless For the lazy follower, the drone Give me imperfection at dawn The origin of the day and the way Give me imperfection at dusk The source of tomorrow’s dream. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
HINDSIGHT
Knives in my back They help me stand upright You’ve got my back Covered with purpose and bite Back-stabbing attacks Strengthen my will to fight What in foresight a man lacks He makes up for with hindsight. The opened eyes at the back of your head Are the lessons learned from the life you’ve led The wars in which you bravely bled And the wars from which you falsely fled Treachery in you and others is rife But you learn to fight better looking ahead Your rear-facing eyes bring back to life All the things you thought were dead. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
DON’T HURT
The things that should hurt Don’t hurt, why not? I thought I cared a little - I guess a little is not a lot. In the private part of the public, What a plot dem a plot; In the public part of the private, I’ll continue to get shot. I have seen through it all, Through us all and through our rot. Even as I strive, faith in God is the only thing I’ve truly got. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE DEEP DEEP MOMENTS
The Deep Deep Moments – Che Chidi
Which is worse, to lose your job
Or to lose your integrity?
Well one day you might have
To make that choice…
Now which would you choose,
To be employed or to be yourself?
If one day you just had
To make that choice
‘Cause the deep deep moments in human life
Will come upon you every once in a while
The deep deep moments in human life
Will come upon you every once in a while
Nobody can advice you,
It is your own path
It is your own destiny
And one day you’re gonna have to make that choice…
Nobody should stand before such a choice
Yet everybody will face it
Some day, somewhere,
Somehow…
The deep deep moments in human life
Will come upon you every once in a while
The deep deep moments in human life
Will come upon you every once in a while
(whistle / hum / sax)
May be your job, may be your blood
Your best friend, your husband or your wife
One day something important will stand between you
And the values in your life
The deep deep moments in human life
Will come upon you every once in a while
I say, the deep deep moments in human life
Will come upon you every once in a while
They will come upon you, they will come upon you
They will come upon you every once in a while.
I say they will come upon you, they will come upon you
They will come upon you every once in a while.
Music / Words / Video: Che Chidi Chukwumerije
A DEEPER SURVIVAL
The more the world is flooded with A.I., the more I hunger for natural things - Natural images honest to the human eye, a genuine human voice that sings - Content that springs from the human “I”, what the original human spirit brings - The truth’s rough edges, not a smooth lie, the exertion that with evolution swings - The more the world is overwritten by A.I., the more I gravitate towards natural things. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 