When you whet the dry water wheel It churns your mind and turns your thoughts From stone to bread for the unfed Soul food for those well-bred With longing, because longing is the art Of belonging to the wellspring of intuition. Then you will love the Good More than you love the hood More even than you love your blood For Good alone is of God; Hood is human, blood is earthly - Without goodness they are empty. Goodness above all. Goodness first. Be good, for it will quench your thirst. Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Of Virtues
LET THEM INTO YOUR HEART
Kindness to refugees
is salvation for humankind.
Because kindness is the refuge
for our broken humanity,
longing for healing.
Let them in
and into your heart.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
SIMPLICITY
It is a complicated road
that brings a mind to simplicity
But it is simple roads
that defy us with their complexity.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
WEAKNESS
The greatest strength
is the strength to look beyond
your own strength
and find in your weakness
strength in other people’s strength.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
#poemsthatmakeyouthink
REPUTATION
So quickly fame
Is followed by shame –
Build instead a good name
That knows no blame –
This should be the aim
Of your substance and game –
Solid name, not fickle fame.
Incorruptible Character is the same
As an inextinguishable flame.
You can remake fortune and fame,
It is hard to recast a broken name.
But if you do fall and lose your face
Stand up tall, don’t hide your face
Learn from your mistakes and change your ways
And boldly seek again the sun’s rays.
It takes Character to push on despite pain
But it also takes character to rise again.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
HEAVEN
To serve God, humbly and quietly
Without pomp and pageantry
Is Heaven.
Modestly and consistently,
With conviction, gratefully.
Expecting no reward,
No recognition, no award –
Because the joy of service
Is reward enough –
Is Heaven.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
BOYS TO MEN
The older I get,
The more I miss my father.
The more knowing I grow,
The more I miss him.
The more I know him.
The more I understand him.
We live life forwards,
But understand life backwards.
When it‘s too late to change anything,
That’s when we understand everything.
The young shall grow.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
(I just feel like remembering today)
START
Energy does not help you to get up
But getting up helps you to get energy
Which in turn helps you to get higher up
You cannot have wisdom before you travel
You need to travel to acquire wisdom
Which in turn makes you a better traveller
Before you know, you cannot believe
It is knowledge that births belief and conviction
Which in turn opens up the way to higher knowledge
And what is the point of this recognition?
Ignorance and weakness are not an excuse
Just start with what you have
And what you need will come to you.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
THE NEXT STEP
Don‘t give up because the first step was not perfect and the critics have only zoomed in on the weak areas.
Rejoice because you took the first step at all and your journey has now started.
Rejoice because you know what you did right and what you did wrong, so you know what to work on and what to improve.
Rejoice because you have feedback and critics and cheerleaders.
Rejoice because you have the one thing that everybody wants, but only few possess – Courage.
It is courage that gets to distant goals, not criticism. Because courage has legs and is very restless. And the only thing that makes courage happy, and satisfies courage, is movement; is overcoming challenges.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
EVERYTHING
When you‘ve had everything, you realise it‘s happiness you want – and then you‘re ready to give up everything for it. How ironic.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 