The thing which if kissed will bring you the wildest happiness Is the thing which if missed will bring you the deepest sadness The higher you did fly The longer you will fall down Until you hit the ground And instantaneously die. It is not the final impact that hurts but the long excruciatingly long fall unable to reverse or arrest or accelerate the moment that will end it all. A time of remembering A time of regretting A time of wishful extrapolating And never forgetting. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Of Reflection
WALKING AND TALKING
Walking myself Through the corridors of dull greyness Talking to myself Until I become free of all my bitterness For it doesn’t matter who has hurt me I am nothing special I have hurt many too, irreparably, deeply, With this my heart must wrestle. Walking and whistling Talking and thinking Of what I’m receiving Whenever I’m grieving Spiritual resetting Not ever forgetting Destiny re-weaving Deep inner perceiving. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
BEWARE OF ECHO CHAMBERS
Beware of echo chambers. People who speak your thoughts Will soothe your loneliness But won’t show you your blind spots. Listen also to those people Who see you completely differently From how you see yourself. Completion seems sometimes unfriendly. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
REVERSER
Recognitions await the explorer The tail wags the dog Sometimes when they play The ears wade through the fog When eyes can’t see the way Nearer is not always clearer The fire comes from the log There’s also sadness in May Our life is our only authentic blog What we do says more than what we say Even a mirror needs a mirror A princess prefers a frog The night is the dreamers’ day Quiet people are also intensely agog With excitement they don‘t display To think otherwise would be an error. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
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
I CANNOT REMEMBER
I cannot remember all the good I did
I cannot remember all the evil I did
People remind me
As you go through the world today
Be mindful of the things you say
And do to those who cross your way
People will remind you one day.
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
A HEART FULL OF MEMORIES
We came we went And the time spent Was like a drop of memory In a few people’s story Who themselves are gone too And, if not yet gone, are going too. If you have a heart Now is when to start Keeping record in there Of what you’re doing here On this planet distant and blue - Your memories are for you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
BOYS TO MEN
The older I get,
The more I miss my father.
The more knowing I grow,
The more I miss him.
The more I know him.
The more I understand him.
We live life forwards,
But understand life backwards.
When it‘s too late to change anything,
That’s when we understand everything.
The young shall grow.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
(I just feel like remembering today)
LIFE’S BOOK OF REVELATIONS
If you want to know people
Observe how they are
When they don’t have to be kind
To get what they want
When they don’t need to be nice
To secure their existence
When they don’t have to put up a show
Of strength or weakness
To protect their safety and preserve their advantage
When they have you in their power
Within the boundaries of their Circle of influence
On their sovereign soil
At their mercy
This is when you know a people
This is when you know a human being
When they have the opportunity to do anything with you
And get away with it
This is when you know yourself –
When you have the opportunity to do something
And get away with it.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 