Hiding in plain sight If you don’t want people to know you Let them think they already know you If you don’t want people to see you Show them daily the you that is not you They will be looking at you But they will not see you Conversely You might be lonely For the like-minded will be blindsided by you And will not see you to connect with you And what you do, they won’t know you’ve done And when you go, they won’t know you’re gone And when you die, nobody will miss you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Of Emergence
DRAW YOUR SECOND BREATH
When I first came to Germany, I died, slowly and gradually. And - this is the worst part - I died alone, inside my heart. Some might say it is a death Akin to the planted seed That dissolves inside the earth En route to being freed; Freed from the past and the old - The path to growth into the new. But death is empty, dark, cold. And lonely. I never knew. There is a path that leads back to life; Beware - it is more painful than death And it too with loneliness is rife From which will emerge your second breath. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
FORGETTING AND FOCUSING
I dreamt that something did not arrive But think now as I may I cannot remember What it was in the night that didn’t arrive As though the memory I don’t remember Is itself what it was that did not arrive. Morning comes and I am alive Full of tomorrow’s energy and drive So I wonder what it was I forgot today I guess it must be yesterday. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE TURNING POINT
Sometimes you can‘t really tell When or why you lost interest in a person When exactly the bondage fell And you finally understood life’s lesson Being mediated to you through them A fallen leaf is a priceless gem It mothers and yields a new rising stem. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
YOU MUST BE PATIENT
There will be hope But the heart must cope First with a season Of conflict sans reason This moon is long faced And tied to a dead sea Rolling scrolls misplaced By startled history. You must be patient Time is clairaudient It hears your heart beating And your footfalls repeating The dance to victory. 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
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
GOING SOLO
Once he doesn’t care anymore All the beauty in the world becomes a bore Every tender touch pinches a sore Promises of true love sound like folklore. He walks out forever through the door He totally overturns what he is living for When he has been wounded to the core Every woman now seems to him to be a whore. Fitting in with the act turns into a chore He rips off the mask which once he wore The mask his heartbreak from his heart tore And breaks away from the naive days of yore. An angel or a demon? Neither nor. Be yourself or die trying? Either or. Whatever else life may have in store He’ll carve his own way now to heaven’s shore. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
NO HOME AWAY
I walk through the valley of pain on my own
By the time friends come I’m already gone
I am All the colours between black and brown
Call me Africa or call me Diaspora, a birded song
Fly without perching, there’s no home away from home.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 