Poems

CONSTANT CRY

~ Che ~ 7 Comments

He lived with us very briefly
When I was still a child
My father’s elder brother

When we prayed before our meals
And made the sign of the cross
He teased us, Protestants, about having gone Catholic

When he shaved in the morning
He explained to us the mysterious science
Of shaving stick, cream and blade

Other than that he didn’t talk much
A quiet quiet quiet man
Hurt no-one, thoughtfully kept to himself

Very different from the others
Never preached, never argued, never moralised
Never scolded, just silently observed

Three decades have passed
Rarely our paths ever crossed again
A short Hello each time, nothing more

I’m still trying to understand
The pain I’ve felt all morning today
Since I heard of Uncle Joe’s death

It doesn’t make sense
Someone I hardly knew
Just a few childhood memories

Just a few memories
That remind me of a time
Rich in memories and childlike insight

And a few memories
Of a quiet adult who never found a voice
In a culture of big egos, loud voices and aggression

His silence was louder, calmer, more lasting
So deep that only his death
Would open the deep wound of memory in my heart

His middle name was Ahamefula
Meaning “May my name not get lost” –
No, dear Uncle, it will not.

In loving memory of
Joseph Ahamefula Chukwumerije
1935 – 2013

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

MAN-MADE MOONS

~ Che ~ 2 Comments

They will build a city
And congest it with laws and dreams
Then they will reduce themselves to the size of the city
And fish their thoughts out of its streams.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

INTERNET: MAP OF THE WORLD

~ Che

A place where minds meet
Don’t expect kid gloves pulling punches
They make minced meat of unminced words

Minds clash harder than bodies
Thoughts don’t need the nuclear code
To damage love in every heart they poison

Where the like-minded find themselves
And divide into real homogeneous Groups
They need no Constitution to know their Aim

No visas to guard their borders
And when you cross the boundary into the darknet
You are at home

Finally we have an inner Picture of the world
That is accurate – It is the Internet
Where the Soul undresses itself without mercy.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

THE SEASON OF THE SECOND ME

~ Che ~ 2 Comments

In order to survive
I birthed another me
Long long ago

When the first feels disoriented
I pull him back
And let out the second

The second is uncontrolled
Full of propensities
And hungry to do it all

But he’s all I’ve got
Suicide is not an option
The journey’s not over yet.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

NO LAWS CAN SAVE A NATION

~ Che

The simplicity of reality
Drag me down to earth
Some mistakes can be corrected
Only through death and rebirth

But it takes even more strength
To live with your unrectified error
And if you can no longer change your path
Then go it with virtue and valour

The outer Change is not as important
As the inner Transformation
If individuals stay inwardly corrupt
No laws can save a Nation

And when you lose your fear
Of mockery and condescension
You’ll see that most People are simply Followers
For fear of ostracization.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

REAL PAINS ARE REAL JOYS

~ Che ~ 5 Comments

Caught in the middle of two worlds
Am I their divider or their uniter
Or lost in the middle?

Torn in the tangle of many loves
Am I their comfort or their hurt
Or they mine?

Rooted at the crossroads of four callings
Am I interpreting it wrong or right
Or just a tool?

Laws confuse me. Love comforts me.
Lord, don’t make me a preacher
Just make me genuine

No matter the pain
I don’t want to be fake
I just don’t want to be fake.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

EVEN A NOBODY IS STILL SOMEBODY

~ Che

Though you seem foolish
And out of touch
Keep on being who you are,
Neither life nor nature’s laws
Was created by human beings.

Though the politicians seem to have all power
Though the freedom-fighters seem to be the only brave ones
Though the intellectuals seem to know it all
Though the popular stars seem to be the only dream-achievers
Yet always remember…

Every single Thought you think
Every deep Intuition you perceive
Every Word you quietly say
And every Little Action in your life
Has an effect Somewhere, Somehow…

For nothing goes for nothing
Nothing gets lost in life, in nature, in Creation
And the fact is that while we’re all so busy
Running around the place
None of us really knows what it’s really all about.

So: Ye Unknown Ones, be brave
And when your Inner Sensing leads you away
From everything the world proclaims “Great” and “In”
Then forsake the world’s ways and quietly, quietly
Find Peace and Joy within your Hearts.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

CORNERSTONE

~ Che ~ 3 Comments

The stone that stood
Alone, refused
And baked in sunshine hard
Stepped upon
Spat upon
Outcast, reject, discard
The stone that the builder refused
The stone that the hammer abused
Philosopher’s stone, dreamer’s muse
Song without a bard
Song without a bard.

Dark is the night
No light in sight
What can I say as comfort?
Rugged stranger
Lonewolf, Ranger
Even words of comfort hurt
The house is slow, is slow to rise
Each wall is pride, is compromise
Nobody wants to apologise
As they yearn for your support
As they yearn for your support.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
—-

NEED

~ Che ~ 5 Comments

One land’s poor man
Is another land’s rich man
It’s all relative
How many meals do you need to be hungry?

One school’s teacher
Is another school’s student
It’s all relative
How much knowledge do you need to be ignorant?

One court’s free man
Is another court’s prisoner
It’s all relative
How many laws do you need to have injustice?

One era’s inventor
Is another era’s copycat
It’s all relative
One religion’s wise man
Is another religion’s fool
It’s all relative
One heart’s sorrow
Is another heart’s happiness
It’s all relative
One man’s woman
Is another woman’s man
It’s all relative
One nation’s outcast
Is another nation’s promised helper.

It all depends
On what you need
Some want the flesh of the fruit
Some crave its inner seed.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

MILE HIGH CLUB AND HORNINESS IN THE AIR

~ Che

What is it that makes people
Horny in the air?
Hard nipples take off
They lock themselves in the toilets
Climb to a higher orgasm –
Wet Bulge. Pull up the arm-rest
Lay a blanket over hands and laps
And transform the fear of flying
Into sexual energy – … until they Come
Back down, soft landing on hard earth.
Can you keep a secret, baby?…
We’re scared to death of flying
And loving it.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.