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
of Subtle Strokes
TIME TO PART
It’s time to part With peace of heart, Reconciliation the chart - Lord, how great Thou art. Finally letting go Of pain and sorrow, Of wanting and woe - You reap what you sow. You forgive, forget and grow. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
ADJUSTING
You overcome the pain By becoming one with it. You lighten the rain By learning to dance in it. You conquer rejection By accepting it. You unburden affection By confessing it. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
HARMATTAN LEAVES
Dusty green leaves Harmattan leaves you husky With the haze of dawn and dusk West Africa will Chest Saharan breath Lovingly for three months Until it springs into the Atlantic Like a restless traveller into his lover. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
BEFORE I SLEEP
The tropical warmth With teeth as strong as roots Beating on lion skin drums Evening voiced on bamboo flutes Fleeting memory That happened too long ago To be remembered properly Before I sleep more miles to go. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE LONELY JOURNEY
The lonely journey Following your intuition Following your conviction Following your sensing Constantly needing someone But having no one To talk to. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE LIFE WITHIN
Allow love to conquer you Allow love to be your leader Allow love to reorder you Allow love to be your healer Let love break you Let love shake and wake you Let love take you Let love unmake and remake you When love enters, you’re in When love goes, you sin When love wins, you win Love is the life within. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE HURTING LOVE
The Love of God Will hurt you - Make no mistake about that - In order to cure you. Are you ready to grow? To reap what you sow? To be polished until you glow? To go with the flow Wherever God’s wind may blow? Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
PAIN AND GAIN
Without the pain My life would have been so empty, My spirit’s real gain Are the lessons and they are plenty. It is really possible To lose a person and become whole, It is really possible To lose the world and gain your soul. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
SHAME
Don’t be ashamed
Of your feeling of shame
For your ability to feel ashamed
Protects you from coming to shame.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 