TIME MATTERS

If there were no time
There would be no pleasure
For there would be no experiencing,
No piling up of inner treasure,
No maturing, no developing,
No struggle against which to measure
Growth, delicious, ever unfolding,
For eternity gained is the time spent.
If there were no time,
If Everything happened in one moment,
There would be no rhyme.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

MORNING YEARNINGS

Good morning, true Morning,
Child of a Blue Night
Spent on an Island of Dawning
By a bright Dream light.

Invisible sun, I feel you coming,
Son of a celestial Height
Full of a gazillion suns roaming
Beyond earthly sight.

I saw you in my dream last night
My heart awakened and took flight
Driven by longing for a land of light
That called me, filled me, with delight

Good morning, new Morning,
Born of gentle Might,
Let the world be gripped by Yearning…
Let there be Light!

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

MUSIC MADE ME

Music made me sad
Sadness made me glad
Gladness made me bad
Badness made me mad

Madness made me make music

Music made me sad
Sadness made me glad
Gladness made me bad
Badness made me mad

Madness made me make music

Music…

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

JUST KEEP MOVING

The shadows were short
But not for long –
Rest a little, but don’t abort,
And then move along –
The sunrays that once hurt
Will soften into bird song.
You can be sometimes weak
You can be sometimes wrong
You can be sometimes meek
When you’re strong.
Whether you’re old or young
Whether you’re normal or a freak,
Just be strong
And keep on moving on

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

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

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

OUR MINDS

Boarding another person’s
Train of thoughts…
What a ride.
Places and passengers of all sorts -
It’s hard to know
At which station to jump off
Before you go mad
Without missing all the good stuff.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije

Poems from the inner river

TRAVELLER TRUTHS

The Truth can only be found
By those who are seeking it
A mistake can only be learned from
By those who are making it
Full exposure is only feared
By those who are faking it
A road can only be understood
By those who are taking it
The Truth can only be echoed
By those who are speaking it.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije

Poems from the inner river