Poems

YOUR COLOURED SHELL

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

You‘ll be there sitting by yourself
And the world will come and meet you;
Your race will jump out like a shell
Between you and all that greet you;
Protecting you from some,
Separating you from some,
Making you invisible to many;
Making you scary to some,
Making you hated by some;
Making you a clichéd image to many;
Connecting you to others,
Uniting you with others,
Making you visible to this many.
And there’s nothing you can do about it
As if it were exactly how nature intended it.
You‘ll be there sitting by yourself
And the world will come and meet you.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

YOUR STRENGTH

~ Che ~ Leave a comment 
When they hit
The reason why it
doesn’t hurt is not
because it’s soft
but because you’re
tough to the core.

Laugh the loudest
When they hit you the hardest
Stand the proudest
When you face their mockery test

Your strength won’t bring you victory
Your strength IS your victory.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

DON’T WAIT FOR PERFECTION

~ Che ~ Leave a comment 
Don’t wait for perfection
Before you set off
Imperfection is what you need
To make you tough!
The world is wild and windy
The way is very rough
For the one who seeks fulfilment
This is enough.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

TRUTH IS FOR THE BLIND

~ Che ~ Leave a comment 
Only the blind can speak the truth
Caring not where it lands
Seeing not where it opens wounds
Even in one’s Beloved’s own hands

Only the blind can follow the truth
Minding not where it leads
Seeing not that an abyss sometimes looms
For people, like themself, of honest deeds

Only the blind can bear the truth
Unbothered by its origin
Seeing not the size of the mountain it moves
Or the people and things it’s crushing

Only the blind can see the truth
No matter how bright and blinding its light
For the truth-loving heart is forever full
Of bold and unfailing insight.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

PERFECTION IS FOR THE COWARDLY

~ Che ~ Leave a comment 
Perfection is for the cowardly
Perfection is for the vain
Perfection is for the insecure
Afraid of the rugged terrain

Perfection is for the talentless
Unable to handle the unknown
Perfection is for the clueless
For the lazy follower, the drone

Give me imperfection at dawn
The origin of the day and the way
Give me imperfection at dusk
The source of tomorrow’s dream.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

FRIENDSHIP IS FOR THE PATIENT

~ Che ~ Leave a comment 
Step with each other
Step without each other, but step
Step ahead of each other
Step behind each other, but step
Step beside each other, step around each other
Step over each other, step under each other
But never ever step on one another.
Feel our steps inside of each other.
Step inspite of each other, but step
Step to one another,
Step away from one another, but…
Step always for one another.
Feel ourselves stepping inside of us.
Friendship is for the patient.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

LOVE IS FOR THE DARING

~ Che ~ Leave a comment 
It’s not the bite in your pride
when the rejection is nearing
that you are really fearing

It is not the hope that died
while heartbreak was jeering
that built the guard you’re wearing

It is the invasion of your Inside,
the vulnerability in sharing,
the agony, the pain, of caring

Deep within is where you hide,
finding strength, slowly preparing,
because love is for the daring.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

BEYOND A.I.

~ Che ~ Leave a comment 
Now that A.I. has mirrored our past
the past has become boring -
We need a new humanity at last
with basic new senses for exploring
a future that in a different context is cast,
less artificial, less vain, less deploring,
more human, simple, more steadfast
at peace-making, tired of warring,
free from materialism’s comfort ballast,
our inner mobility restoring.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

DON’T LOSE YOURSELF IN THE CROWD

~ Che ~ Leave a comment 
Never join the crowd
Let your silence be loud -
Never yield to the crowd
Let your humility be proud -
The opinion of the crowd
Is a blindfold, a shroud -
We’re all parts of a crowd,
But each with a spirit endowed.

Don’t lose yourself in the crowd
Because when you were allowed
To come into being, you vowed

To become an individual, unbowed.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

HINDSIGHT

~ Che ~ Leave a comment 
Knives in my back
They help me stand upright
You’ve got my back
Covered with purpose and bite
Back-stabbing attacks
Strengthen my will to fight
What in foresight a man lacks
He makes up for with hindsight.

The opened eyes at the back of your head
Are the lessons learned from the life you’ve led
The wars in which you bravely bled
And the wars from which you falsely fled
Treachery in you and others is rife
But you learn to fight better looking ahead
Your rear-facing eyes bring back to life
All the things you thought were dead.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river