Show people who you are So that those who want to go will go And those who want to stay will stay And those who want to come will come And those who want to keep away will keep away. And when they show you who they are You will be hurt by some who go And be pleasantly surprised by some who stay, You will be amazed by some who come And you will not even notice those who keep away. Show people who you are And they will show you who they are. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Of Political Beings
THE DOGS OF WAR AGAIN
The fogs of war Clouding and blinding - The cogs of war Tripping up and grinding - The bogs of war Weighing down and binding - The blogs of war Lying, agitating, not minding - The dogs of war Stuck in the past, rewinding. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
SOMEONE
You will hurt somebody And somebody will hurt you You will heal somebody And somebody will heal you You will help somebody And somebody will help you You will hinder somebody And somebody will hinder you. For every vice And for every virtue There’s someone to take it And someone to give it to you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
BLACK IN
We Are the Same - Just as capable Just as valuable - Just as intelligent Just as resilient - Just as determined To even out the score And you cannot put me down I have not yet had enough I want some more What are we waiting for? Black does not belong to the back But to the front and will come back To the fore Through the front Door. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
WHERE THE HEART BELONGS
Someone who doesn’t take you with both hands, willingly and eagerly and totally, that person is not your home, nor you theirs. No matter how much it hurts, tear yourself away from them and move on.
Wounds heal with time.
We live in two worlds simultaneously. The one world is politics and society, is work and recreation, is projects and ambitions and all kinds of responsibilities, is ideologies, and is even family too sometimes. This is the one world, in which we chase achievements.
But there is another world in which we also live. It is deeper, is more subtle, more intense, quieter, and often very invisible. It is the loves that come and go; the tears and longings that burn our hearts; the seldom laughter of genuine joy; the raw friendships; the secret passionate love affairs; the intimately guarded happy home; the given trust and the broken trust; it is the real us deep inside.
We live in these two worlds simultaneously. And then time passes, and we die. And our obituary is full of what we did in the one world. While all our memories from the other world depart with us quietly in our hearts. And in the hearts of those who shared it with us.
Wounds will heal with time. But, while you’re on that journey, don’t go to where your heart does not belong. Seek your happiness in being true to yourself, always.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Undulating Plains
AVERSION
It’s always amusing to me When in the midst of a White Sea I see one Black face And when he or she sees me They seem to panic visibly And avert their face Avoiding eye contact completely And seem to be begging me Not to look at their face Immersed in their White company Proving hard to them their loyalty. To save their face After looking at them thoughtfully For a while, I walk past them gently With a calm face Because we don’t altercate publicly We will do that when next we see Face to face. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
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
FRANKFURT IST MEHR; UND KANN MEHR
Ich habe mich entschlossen, bei den nächsten Kommunalwahlen (14. März 2021) hier in Frankfurt am Main für die Kommunale Ausländervertretung (KAV/Ausländerbeirat) für ganz Frankfurt und für den Ortsbeirat (5 – Niederrad, Oberrad, Sachsenhausen) zu kandidieren, und bin dankbar über jede Unterstützung.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
https://che-chukwumerije.de/
GET USED TO BLACK
Black is not a fad, and not a trend –
It was here first & it is here to stay ‘til the end.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
FEAR NOT THE IDES OF MARCH
Fear not the Ides of March
Go boldly your path to the end
What’s unclear today, another Plutarch
Will explain one day again
Fear not the Ides of March
Fear is the foe of your nature
Your feet it’ll drag, tongue it’ll patch –
Heed not every Seer or Preacher
Fear not the Ides of March
Though your friends turn into traitors
Or family conspirators, sly and arch,
Join and jubilate with your tribulators
Fear not the Ides of March
Death cannot upturn your victory
Tough as larch and strong as starch
Shall eternally inspire your Story.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
15.03.2019
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 