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
Of Conflict
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
POINTS OF VIEW
You just assume it’s true Because it’s native to you You just assume it‘s true That my blue is your blue But my blue is really very red rises like blood rose to my head While your blue is green instead the leafy verdure of a flower bed Neither your blue nor mine Is truly blue or azure or divine The blues we see are but in line With our maturity, depth or shine Yet you simply assume it’s true Because yours is native to you You assume that I’m seeing blue Just because it looks blue to you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
EASY PREY
You call yourself, proudly, a man, Fiercely, loudly, a Black man! Prey. Easy prey. You are easy prey. Because you stand alone Because you mourn on your own Because you don’t show your brother Just how much you silently suffer Because you compete against each other In envy instead of bonding together Under the attacks of all those Who consider you their subhuman foes. Prey. Easy prey. You are easy prey. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
SUPERIORITY COMPLEX
Superiority complex Is inferiority complex Think about it Someone constantly trying to outdo you Means they feel constantly outdone by you Attempted demonstration of superiority Over you Is an indication of feelings of inferiority Towards you. When it happens on an individual level It is a curse But when it happens on a group level It is even worse It is a revelation of the collation of emptiness and of pettiness in the norm of human form. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
HEART OF GOLD
There is a part of your world - Inside your heart - It is Gold. Beware of the gold-diggers Beware of the prospectors Remember Ghana or the Incas Protect the gold inside your heart. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
WHY?
I cannot handle lies like hot mounds of yam on a plate smoking squinted eyes thoughtfully tonguing open the gate of questioning Whys where Truth comes never or too late to hear my heart’s cries. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 