Of Virtues

GREATNESS AND SMALLNESS

~ Che ~ 6 Comments

How great
Is the greatest man
If he cannot even carry a bucket of water
To his thirsty friend?
If he cannot even put a broom in his hand
And sweep the dustied driveway
With humility of heart?

How great
Is the greatest woman
If she cannot even say hello
To a person she deems to be a class lower?
If she cannot ignore the supposed mockery
Of soceity for the sake of a moment
Of truthfulness to herself?

How great is greatness
If it has no humility?

Even smallness
Is greater
Than such greatness.

– che chidi chukwumerije.

TOMORROW CAME YESTERDAY

~ Che

Every new day is the future
you’ve been waiting for.
So, all those things you’ve made a vow
to do in the future,
do them now.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

BLESSED BE THEY WHO WORK IN THE FIELD

~ Che ~ 1 Comment

A smile, a wave, from where did it come?
From beyond the earth, or heaven, or where?
We feel it, we see it, reflect it here from
And spread it the earth round, here there, everywhere

Blessed be they who work in the field
Who work with their hands in the soil
Blessed be they who, yield after yield
And season on season yet toil.

The end, the start, the middle of work
Like fishers at sea, unceasing, we roll
Like all true handworkers who never ever shrink
The call and the urging perceived in the soul

Blessed be they who work in the field
Who link man and nature on earth
Blessed be they, in them doth life shield
The true future waiting for birth.

– che chidi chukwumerije.

ODE TO LOVE

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

Love is a unique thing
It possesseth that quality
Which for want of comprehension entire
One feels inclined to call magic

It overcomes all obstacles
And, as an obstacle, cannot be overcome
How it does this, no one knows
But the Origin of Love itself

Open yourself to love
That it may full-fill you
The more you love,
The more you live.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

GRACE AND POWER

~ Che ~ 6 Comments

Everywhere I sought it
I sought in every land
To know if Nature’d wrought it
Anywhere beneath her hand
But though I searched with all my might
And though I looked forever
I’ve never seen before my sight
An ugly flower ever.

Sometimes it might seem to be
She‘s hidden and can‘t be seen
Through land or on the sea
As though she never hath been
Yet when ever a Flower blossoms
When a Flower blooms
Pure beauty is all I see in dozens
In all my heart’s rooms.

Did Heaven ever come to earth?
Did Beauty ever give birth?
Womanhood indeed is Heaven’s flower
Heaven’s beauty, Heaven’s grace and Heaven’s power.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

HE WAS A WEIGHTLIFTER

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

A monster of a man
World on his shoulders
Yet fragile is his heart
Go easy on him

He will lift world records
With muscle-rippling ease
But a heavy heart, a broken heart
Will weigh him down

His ego is no bigger than yours
And when he cuddles his little baby
His arms are just as gentle
Trembling hands, subtle fingers

He was a weightlifter
Now he’s down, leaden of heart –
Who will be the one to
Stroke his head and gently lift him up?

He is light as a feather if you ease his pain
Easy like a Sunday morning
Will melt in your hands like butter
Fly with you to the midnight moon, effortlessly.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR

~ Che ~ 4 Comments

Elementary particles
You and I
And our every thought of kindness
Wrapped up in temporary blindness
The thought will go
But the kindness in its heart will remain timeless.

Thousands of years later
Geologists can tell you where
A river once flowed.
Such is the parable of human hearts
And the tracks of our tears
And the marks we leave in each others’ lives.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

MOVEMENT

~ Che ~ 2 Comments

They will pull you back
They are afraid of…
Anything that moves!

Long shackled pain and fear
Madden the mind
Time stands still

The tempted, fallen, becomes
The tempter
Learn to recognize them

The source of your pain
The source of your freedom
Movement!

  • Che Chidi Chukwumerije..

KINDNESS BEYOND POETRY

~ Che ~ 4 Comments

Be kind to people
Let kindness be your all, your strength, your gift
Your highest art-form, beyond craft
For you are human

Kindness is life
Kindness is the root of eternity smile
Kindness can move mountains
Can conquer pain
Gives us comfort in our hour of desolation
Kind eyes keep the heart alive

Kindness conquered me
Let kindness conquer you too
Become a servant of kindness
Become a master of hearts.

The naïve are not always naïve
Sometimes they are simply grateful to kindness
For kindness shown and kindness received
And now they too are passing kindness on to others
For one who has been saved by kindness
Will serve kindness evermore

Nothing sets a human heart free
Like the heartbeats of kindness deep within
Sometimes it’s difficult, sometimes it’s easy
Sometimes you forget, sometimes you remember

And in the moment of your death
It will be your acts of Unkindness that haunt you
And make you long for another life, another chance…

And it will be your acts of kindness
And the acts of kindness shown to you
That comfort you, give you hope
And show you the way into life after death

You are not alone.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

STRONG AND STRONGER

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

What yesterday I pushed away
Returns today, stronger
With even more hunger
Songs that I must play.

I have to move
Fly like a dove
Driven by love

I have to remove
Myself from illusion
Confusion.

Unfinished Verses stare at me
Repeated Verses endlessly.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.