Every face is a story Every grimace tells of lost glory Every I’m sorry Every Don’t worry Reawakens a thousand year old history And solves quietly a complicated mystery From a long forgotten story. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Of human beings
NICENESS
Don‘t slip on the ice,
Be careful when being nice
To strangers on the way,
For the way will waylay
The unwary and open heart
For whom niceness is the chart.
Temper your eagerness
With a measure of carefulness,
Protect your friendliness
With the practice of watchfulness.
Niceness has a reputation
For being an open invitation
To those who take to take again
Not caring if it causes pain.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
PEOPLE’S SIGNALS
Pay attention to the signals That people give you; Take them seriously - The signals won’t deceive you. No one says everything; They leave it to you To figure it out if you’re smart And paying attention too. And above and beneath it all Your own inner voice Will analyse the signals and more And make its own choice. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
RIGHT THINGS
Do the right things And do the things right Spread your light wings And make your wings light Whatever the flight brings Inner buoyancy brings flight Up into the bright rings Where happiness rings bright. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
ACHING
Deep inner feelings of love are possible The love that causes the heart to ache is possible The love you cannot forget is possible The love that is stronger than you is possible The love that changes you is possible You just have to meet the right person To experience the incredible aching With or without Heartbreaking. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
NICE PEOPLE LIE TOO
Nice people lie too And when they do They defend it with determination For fear of losing their reputation. Once you start with a lie You have no choice But to continue to deny Using your false voice And you become hard And you become cold And you put up your guard And you grow old It was worth it, I guess, To have wrongly said Yes - It would be sad to have killed your soul For nothing, and miss your true goal. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
FORGET IT
How humility can guide you To find yourself if you let it - How anger can ride you To death if you won’t forget it - Forget it, it’s done and gone, Your pain is the healing kind - When you lost her, you won A deeper heart, a higher mind. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
HEARTS NEED TIME
The heart needs a long time To understand that someone is gone. Decades after the death bells chime, The heart still waits for the loved one To come back home. The heart needs a long time Because hearts are built for eternity. Loving is more violent than crime, You’ll be sentenced to immortality As you wander and roam Trying to come back home. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
MANY STORIES
You have enemies you don’t know, They get to your friends behind your back. Those friends whose friendship was hollow Succumb to them and join in their attack. You have friends you don’t know, They‘re there for you when you need them most. They fight your fight, share your sorrow, Rejoice with you, sometimes invisibly like a ghost. You are not and never alone, You are a part of many stories and memories; Your life is an enrichment of someone else’s own And is enriched by others’ and their testimonies. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
