DENIED

If you died
Right now
Ask yourself
What have you lied
To yourself
About.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

OF YOU

My Heart is full
Of you and the pull
Of you but of all
Of you not just a part
Of you from the start
Of you to the heart
Of you I hear the call
Of you in my heart.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

THE WAY THE HEART LOVES

A quiet day
You were in my heart
And in my every thought
All day today

Just like yesterday
And the day before too
I’m still thinking of you
Quietly every day

This is the way
The heart loves genuinely
Noiselessly, unceasingly
Day by day.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

LOVE LIKE THE SUN

Like the sun rises every morning
So love blossoms again in the heart
After the night of agony and mourning
The heart will ache to make a new start

It might be an unfinished story
Rising from the depth to try again
Or a new love emerging in all its glory
Making the heart forget all its past pain

The edges blur, the points blunt
The longing subsides, the tears dry
New edges sharpen up a new front
New wings unfold straining to fly

For the heart wants to love badly
Because love is the life of the soul
Love gladly or love sadly or love madly
Love alone makes the spirit whole.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

A RESTAURANT

They come in with empty stomachs
And leave with full hearts -
A restaurant is a homestead in public,
A social comforter of sorts.

A smile tastes as good as wine,
And the sound of laughter
Will be your lifeline
And quench your hunger long after.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

BECOMING CIRCUMSPECT

A year passed by so quickly, like a whirlwind. The most important lesson I have learned: Value people who tell you the truth, for they are rare. Be sparing with your trust. And know that, unfortunately or fortunately, there is always something more to every story you hear. The exceptions to this rule are rare. So, become circumspect, even as you love harder. Because the harder you love, the deeper you go into the heart of truth and deception. The human heart is on earth to grow, and it grows only by intense and authentic experiencing of itself and of other hearts. So, open your heart to everything, but know this: “Everything” includes both the light and the dark, both the dependable and the treacherous, coming both from strangers as well as, even more so, from the people you trust.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Undulating Plains

A NEW LIGHT

You appear, a new light,
Hesitant yet persistent,
Dimmed and yet bright;
Curiously observant
Because it feels so right.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

IT IS WHY WE LIVE

It doesn’t matter who broke your heart
Or how badly they broke it.
It doesn’t matter how much it hurt.
When the new one comes,
Love again. And love HARDER.

Once you set off, don’t look back.
Pain is not and is never our master.
Joy and love lie always ahead -
Fall forward. It is why we live
With the fullness of our heart always to give.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

WHAT HUMANS CAN DO

A.I. can only do
What has been done before

Only humans
Can do truly new things

Spirit, give me more –
New hearts beat on different strings.
Spirit, give me those things
That only human spirits can do.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

I WISH YOU WELL

Though you hurt me
I wish you well
I pray that true love
Lift you where you fell
I pray that God’s Light
Illuminates your heart
I pray that good things
Line up your travel chart
And may it be well with you
In everything that you do.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river