Be ready to forgive insults Even before they come Knowing they will come From children and adults Who are a part of your way For this too is a part of the way You must travel to get results. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Of Maturing
BEFORE YOU
You always think you’re the first When you are young, How startling it is when you grow up To realise you were wrong. So many people before you Have these same heights traversed - Some recorded, many unrecorded, Their stories long dispersed. Tread the earth with humility, O modern day human; Stonehenge and Egypt’s pyramids Transcend our acumen. And when you are still young, Be thankful as you add new value, For you’re building on the foundation Of all that came before you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
BEYOND PAIN
Pain they say is your friend But it is also your enemy. Be careful when it starts to bend, It can break you completely. Take small breaks from your pain Every once in a little while. Laugh at yourself or with a friend - If you can’t laugh, smile. Tell pain enough is enough When you’ve learned your lesson. After washing, turn the shower off And you can now start dressing Up, stepping out and showing up, Changing your narrative. Not pain but joy is the overflowing cup That we drink to eternally live. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
ALL AND NOTHING
You cannot have it all
Appreciate what you have and give gratitude
The fruits that want to fall
The fruits that have to fall
The fruits that will fall
Let them fall
You cannot have it all
Where you have nothing appreciate your solitude
For you can never have it all.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
EVOLVING
Always absorb the pain And move on but resolve To one day love again - That’s how hearts evolve. 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
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
DUSKY
The wooded streets heavy laden with evening tears The dusk is wet with wanting well within her weathered years where everything longing meets maturity already wears with a battered beauty so haunting for the bruises it softly bears. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
NO MATTER
No matter How many times I get used, I still can never get used To getting used. No matter how often Fake people take a liking To me, I never take a liking To their liking. No matter How often I be in love, I will never fall in love While standing in love. 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 