Separate yourself from things In order to know the value of things Go deep into things In order to learn the true value in things Separate yourself from people In order to know the value of people Come close to, go deep into, people In order to see the true value in people Metamorphose away from yourself In order to know the value of yourself Develop again into your true self In order to feel the value in being yourself. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Of Seeking
SNIPPETS
Hard words are sometimes the kindest Foraging eyes are sometimes the blindest Life’s help is sometimes to put you to the test It pushes you to move when you long to rest I’ve never wanted something so badly before I’ve never eaten to my fill and still wanted some more I’ve never said goodbye and continued to feel so sore I’ve never been so trapped before in a folklore So many new things starting at the same time Be patient when you’re looking for the right rhyme Little doses of salt and pepper, curry and thyme Life is sometimes a little sugar, sometimes a little lime I love like Haily’s comet, ever and again I come again Laughter fills my heart again and conquers the pain I can’t explain it, I am a lake and I am the rain And so are you, and every end is just another refrain. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
A PART OF YOU
Sometimes a part of you Can live outside of you And run away from you And refuse to come back to you And will ignore you And will not recognise you And will reject you And will hurt you And will avoid you Because the reason why It is living outside of you Is in order to find itself And fully become itself Through struggle, experiencing and reflection Uninfluenced by you In order to one day be able To complement you And be complemented by you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
WHEN I WAIT
When I wait, I wait for you When I go, I go to you When I stand, I stand with you What are you? When I live, I live in you When I die, I die because of you When I work, I work for you Who are you? When I remember, I remember you When I dream, I dream of you When I long, I long for you When are you? Why are you so present? Why are you so absent? Why are you so prescient? Why are you? Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THROUGH HONESTY
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
WITHOUT A TRACE
There was once a person I once knew her for a short while I don’t know what happened to her Or who she became or what lifestyle I have no idea where she is now I never discovered where she went to Or who she mixed herself up with, if any If she still exists, what she’s going through But she made my heart childlike Before she suddenly disappeared Without a trace - I pray to God, Who knows it all, To always be with her wherever she is And give her protection, progress and peace And guide her to a beautiful place Full of flowers, true love, honesty and bliss. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
WRONG AND RIGHT
How can something so strong be so wrong? Go so wrong? We don’t belong to our emotions, they belong to us, but our devotions are more accurate and honest, what we long for the strongest. Pain brings so much blessing to every soul that learns its lesson and undergoes transformation, maturation and the realisation that it wasn’t wrong after all, it was a strong and jarring Call to wake up before you fall. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
ACHING
Deep inner feelings of love are possible The love that causes the heart to ache is possible The love you cannot forget is possible The love that is stronger than you is possible The love that changes you is possible You just have to meet the right person To experience the incredible aching With or without Heartbreaking. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
BE HONEST WITH PEOPLE UPFRONT
Be honest with people upfront. Because they are giving you their all, hoping you will accept it and believing you are the one. If you know you are not available for them or they are not what you seek, don’t let them plant their garden in your backyard and enjoy their fruits for a while before brutally uprooting them when you’ve had enough, or when they now want to enter the house, or when the one or thing you really want shows up. You cause a deep pain in the universe and open a wound in their hearts that will bleed for lifetimes thereafter. Be honest with people upfront. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t say things you don’t mean or that aren’t REALLY real. If it’s not what you really want or if you’re not really sure, say it truthfully, keep your distance or break it off at once. You will gain a friend, and respect, for life, down the line.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Undulating Plains
THAT KIND OF LOVE
How can someone Love someone so much? Is it possible? Once upon A time there was such. And betrayal couldn’t make the love go away, It only opened a wound that would forever stay And questions yearning to find answers some day. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 