Don’t be ashamed Pour it all out The heart is tamed and freed from doubt by the bravery of honesty. Let those that hurt you continue to mock you It still cannot stop you from healing through honesty and growing through adversity. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Of Liberation
MAY YOU
May you grow Like the flowers you love so much May you sow Seeds of fruits that nourish as such May you glow Under the purity of a true lover’s touch May you know Honesty to which you can safely clutch. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
DISILLUSIONMENT AND DISENCHANTMENT
Sometimes when you’re inner eyes open and you gradually begin to see and recognise a person for who and what they really are, you experience such a shocking, deep and grave Disappointment, that you almost wish you could close your inner eyes again, in order to retain the former beautiful picture of this person that you used to have. But it is all in vain. Your heart can never ever forget again what it has seen and what it now knows and sees. Truth is the most beautiful, but also the ugliest, thing you will ever encounter. But, the good thing is, it will set you free.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Undulating Plains
LOVE IS A PRISON
My only Crime was loving you And loving you too much too But If this is a crime I’ve done my time Release me Ease me Out Tell me what it’s all about An outer whisper, an inner shout Free me from insecurity and doubt. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
I FEEL DEEPLY
I feel things very deeply If only people knew I climb or fall very steeply Intuition is my cue A trigger is enough for a crash A crash is enough for a lifetime A lifetime is not enough, it’s just a flash Among many flashes on a timeline Of deeper inner feelings And deeper inner healings. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
BRIGHTNESS UP AHEAD
There’s brightness up ahead Curiousity and hope instead Of shuddering tears we shed Instead of feet that walking bled And never a word said. But now there’s brightness up Ahead and an overflowing cup And a loaf of laughter for my sup. If you look deeply you’ll see it on my face That my heart was caught by His grace. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
RE-CODING MANHOOD
I never again want to be that man, the one that a woman is lying to another man in order to come and spend time with me. Because I will always think of that other man and know the excruciating pain he will feel if he ever suspects something he cannot prove. And if he doesn’t suspect anything and thinks he is with a loyal partner, then I will be the one to feel the excruciating pain on his behalf. I never want to be that man, the one that encourages or condones a woman lying to another man in order to come and spend time with me. For humanity to grow, the code of manhood has to change and become noble and knightly, boldly honest and full of dignity. I want to be the man who speaks the truth and to whom the truth is spoken. Any woman who deceives someone else in order to come and give herself to you, is not a good woman. She has given you a poisoned chalice. Be a man whose most intimate communication is truth, who speaks truth and to whom truth is spoken. Re-code the manhood within you, so we can lift up this world again.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Undulating Plains
SMILE
Did you know that Smiling makes you happy When you’re feeling crappy? Did you know that? I bet you’re smiling now. And if you were feeling crappy, Now you’re feeling a little happy - I bet you’re smiling now. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE DAY THE LAUGHTER CAME AGAIN
The day the laughter came again I stood in shock and stared at it in awe Like a stranger from a distant terrain For I had forgotten to a tragic flaw How laughter sounds and makes you feel. It felt so good it made me want to cry; The power of laughter and joy is real - A heart that laughs purely will never die. The day the laughter came again I was at the lowest ebb of my life, My soul wracked every day by pain, Torn by questions and unresolved strife, I woke up that morning and prayed to God, then set out to bravely meet the day And as I, work-focused, did onward plod, Laughter came to me again along my way. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
PRE-DAWN
The light is gone from my heart And gone from my life And cut out my most sensitive part With a dark burning knife But I don’t care, because underneath The heavy mountain of pain A greater flame bursts from its sheath And lights up my heart again. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 