Lonely becomes your friend
And you marvel
At his eloquence, deep and complex
Gnawing at your heart
Seeking the answers
Only you can give to him
To set him free.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
Poems
LIFE COMES IN CHAPTERS
Kidnapped
Is there still hope for me?
The sun sets sadly as slowly as he can
By the last light of day
Find a way
Did you see the baby that was stolen?
Did you see the boy that was broken?
However hard you look, you will see
No resemblance at all between them and
The man now woken, now walking.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
MUSIC PEOPLE
MUSIC
PEOPLE
LANGUAGE
UNDERSTOOD
FOR ONE
MOMENT
ONE MANKIND
ONE SPIRIT
1 LOVE.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
TRAYVON
You’re walking on water
Don’t think it is land
The tide is about to turn
Your feet into sand
Signals sent out over the earth
Kill them before they grow
There is a protection Claws in our justice
For a darker tomorrow
Subliminal messages
Password more valid than passport
What is the colour of love?
Blindness is just in court
Mankind will destroy humanity
And claim to be its saviour
And cunning will mask hatred
And none shalt love thy neighbour.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
In Memory.
AS THEY BURN THE ANCIENT LIBRARIES IN AFRICA
Let them not remember
That we were not always here;
Let what we tell them
Be all they know –
They can get Independence from the West
If they want,
But not from the Middle East.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
IS HELL THE WAY TO HEAVEN?
Never gonna teach nobody
Never gonna preach the Word
To no damn soul
I’m damned myself
Tired of pretending
To know the way to heaven
Maybe everybody should just
Go to hell – then we’ll all grasp
The way to heaven.
– CHE CHIDI CHUKWUMERIJE.
LESSONS FROM MY FATHER
1. Don’t be afraid to be on the losing side
2. Believe in yourself
3. Identify a cause you would be proud to die for – and then live for it
4. Exercise
5. Avoid the things that harm your body
6. Be on good terms with your family members
7. Know where you come from, and maintain a close relationship with it
8. Think strategically
9. Create opportunities for those less priviledged than yourself
10. Reflect on your path and change it, if need be
11. Think about Africa, for the danger is not yet over
12. Get an education
13. Work extra hard
14. Cultivate a relationship with GOD. He is.
15. Don’t be blindly tribalistic or racial. Look for the truth, and give your loyalty to It alone
16. Serve causes, not people
17. Be fearless
18. Be disciplined, and persevere
19. Be honest and straightforward, and follow the path of integrity
20. Have faith, and believe in miracles – there’ll be help along the way
21. Earn your own money, pay your own bills
22. If you have children, give them your all
23. If you get married, do your best to keep it happy
24. Strive for Excellence
25. Be at home within your own self.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
In loving Memory of my father, Comrade Uche Chukwumerije 1939-2015.
LIKE A CLOUD WATCHES A RAIN DROP FALL
Like a cloud watches a rain drop fall
An archer a misguided arrow reject recall
A mountain an avalanche gather and roll
A doctor a young departing soul
An old woman the memory of early innocent flirt
A tailor a beloved yarn vanish into a shirt
So I remember tonight all those I ever hurt –
Growing up is life’s only comfort.
– CHE CHIDI CHUKWUMERIJE.
MOTHER
Happy 70th Birthday to my dear
MOTHER
If heaven were but a grain
Of those arms on which I was once lain
And only a mere faint echo
Of that inspiration which has become my life-long shadow
Then claim me kiss of death
That upon your hearth
Mother Again will be my first breath
And I’ll never crave rebirth.
It is between Scylla and Charibdis
For me to start to describe what it is
To eternity in the warmth of a bossom
And the gentle resourcefulness of a flower in blossom
So comforting and caring
So loving and true
This comes straight from my heart:
Mother, I love you.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
1990.
I wrote this poem for my mother when I was 16. Today, almost three decades later, the words still hold true.
HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY, MUM.
MUSICIANS
When the sadness
Coloured the smile
Of the musician’s sunshine
I saw that his joy
Had just got deeper
And the unshed tears
Longing in his eyes
Were less bitter
Than they were bittersweet
To my ears
Music to my heart
Water to my soul – his sorrow
Became the joy of my spirit flame.
That was when I saw him smile
That broke my heart.
– CHE CHIDI CHUKWUMERIJE.
