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
Of Contemplation And Search
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
DON’T WALK AWAY FROM THE PATH
DON‘T WALK AWAY FROM THE PATH
When I was young and I still had a choice
I woke one day and heard a woman’s voice (and she said)
My son don’t walk away from the path
Courageously face all that it hath (because it’s)
Easy to walk away from the right path (but then)
It’s never easy finding your way back
Don’t walk away, son…….
Years passed and I became a man
I did away with all my childish plans
I saw the world the way it really was
But I was too weak to fight off its paws
And the woman’s words went flat (in my mind)
And I shut my eyes and walked away from the path
I walked away, Lord…..
Now I am… – –
I am… – –
So… – –
So… ….. hee ha!
Now since that time I’ve been living along the ways of men
In all that time I haven’t made one single friend
I’ve lost the peace of mind that I used to know
I’ve gained the world but what happened to my little soul (little soul….)
(instr.)
My son don’t walk away from the path
Courageously face all that it hath (because it’s)
Easy to walk away from the right track (but then)
It’s never easy way finding your way back
It’s easy to lose the track
It’s never easy finding your way back (I say)
It’s never easy finding your way back (ohh)
It’s never easy finding…
It’s never easy finding hey….
Your…… way back…
And I’m so… lonely.
Music/Words: Che Chidi Chukwumerije
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
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
HOPE TO BE FOUND
Line your pockets with seeds of hope Find purpose when you secretly grope through your hidden emotions, touch one, touch all, no emotion is too much, no matter how intense. The deeper the grip, the closer it is to the reaper - And you are the reaper of what you sow. Empty your pockets of what you know As you walk the road leave a flower trail The Grail finds you if you seek the Grail. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
WHAT WE REALLY SEE
Nobody ever walks down the street, Everybody always walks through their own world. Nobody ever looks at the world, Everybody always looks at an image in their mind. Nobody lives outside Everybody lives inside Inside their own head, inside their own heart Until you see what a person is looking at In the core of their being You’ll never know what they are seeing When they are looking at you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
WHAT DO YOI REALLY WANT?
Imagine if the only way God could save you
Was by letting you continue to search and to suffer –
Would you still continue to beg Him to save you?
Or would you ask the devil to make you an offer?
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
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
EAGLE AT HEART
Sun-burnished
The sea slit
The morning lit up
Furnished my wit
The varnished mirror beneath me crawls
And over-yonder my sun it calls
Back tarnished memory bit by bit.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 