There is always something to say And no one to say it to The heart is a deep wide bay Where stories and strangers sail into To quietly offload, sit and recuperate Locked in the soliloquy of the seeker The pain-cooked rebirth to elevate Phoenix back to Light in a world grown bleaker. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner rivero
of Subtle Strokes
HEALED BROKEN
It’s not as easy as you think
Some bones heal in their broken position
Yes, they don’t hurt anymore
But they will never again make the same old motion
And you will never again feel the former emotion.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
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
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 