I thought I was awake
Until I woke up
And realised it was a dream
Who filled my cup?
Overflowing with dreams
The more I take
For goodness’ sake
In reality it seems
On dreams I sup.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
Poems
HUMAN DIGNITY
Whatever you take from people,
Try not to take away their dignity –
It is what makes us human. Simple.
Human dignity is a kind gift from Divinity.
Preserve it as much as you can
In every child, in every man, in every woman,
It confirms to us that we are human.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
THE SILENCE GARDEN
If you don‘t know what to say,
Don‘t say anything.
If you have nothing to say,
Say nothing.
If it’s not yet ripe for saying,
Don’t say it.
If you lack clarity,
Look for it and wait for it.
Be silent, prayerful and observant;
Silence is the garden, clarity is the plant;
To discover what you really need and want.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
INTENSE PAIRINGS
Brief meetings
Deep meanings
Short stories
Long memories
Quick to start
Fast to part
Slow to leave the heart.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
SOME WAITS
I’m in a garden full of fruits But I am not hungry, And what I crave only Is buried deep down in the roots. And I am waiting patiently For it to sprout again And no pleasure can dull the pain Or nourish me substantially. Some waits last long, longer Than a lifetime or two; Reincarnation is the cue To re-become younger and stronger. Don’t hurry your wounds, Let them heal at their own pace; Life and love are not a race, Some years have thirteen moons. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
SPIRIT
When the weight of the world
Does not weigh you down
Because the sun within you is lighter
When the anger of their hatred
Does not darken your mind
Because the joy in your heart is brighter
When your Quietness
Does not stop You from winning
Because deep inside you’re a Fighter.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
NEW FORMS
The ground is drifting
How ever firmly you stand
How ever fast you run
The goalpost is shifting
The only changeless thing
Is the Will of God
Manifested in His Laws
That bind us in a firm ring
Go with the flow
Be not afraid of new forms
No matter what comes
It will help you to grow.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
GROUP
When I‘m in the group of You
I am one of you
And everything in me that is you
Comes out of me and connects with you
Because in that moment this is me
You are me and I am you
Three and two and one too.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
OWN KIND
Something has changed –
Experiences and the reflection
Thereupon have rearranged
My priorities and direction.
I no longer feel estranged
In the midst of strangers –
For I have found my own kind
And we are of one mind
In the face of the world’s dangers.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
WE AND THE WORLD
We came into the world
And the world came into us
We left the world
But the world did not leave us
And now we’re stuck here
Reincarnating over and over again
Unfinished with the world
And yet unsatisfied with the world too
Now knowing who we are
Or why we are here
Or where to go when we’re gone.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
