That blossom
That let go of the tree
And fell to earth
Is forgiveness
That recognition
That pain was the unavoidable teacher
Is forgiveness
That cleansing tear
Is forgiveness.
But I never want to see you again.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
Poems
INNER SHARING
Every friend
Takes a piece of you
But not all
Will give it back
From friendship to friendship
You lose more of you
And have to reinvent yourself
In the end
This is when
Your friends will tell you
That you have changed
And they don’t know you anymore
Only those
Who gave back what they took
Will understand you now
Because they were the soil
That yielded you.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
EXCEPT YE AS LITTLE CHILDREN BE
Children are united
By childhood
Adults divided
By their adulthood
Too smart is the mind
That sees division
The spirit is inclined
To strive for union.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
WHEN WE’RE WEAK
When we’re down, that’s when
We should cheer each other up
Silence is gold when happiness is upon us
In sorrow, speech will hold us together
Hold me when you crave to be held
You didn’t know you were lonely until I hugged you
When we’re weak, we become stronger
This is the illogical magic in the heart of friendship.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
NIGHT RUSH
The light of the moon uncovers the night
Sends a shiver across the fur of grass
A sleeping tree awakens, turns
Reaches out with its strong, slow branches
Bristling with leaves
The wind suddenly holds its breath, in the hush
The night beats faster
The earth yearns harder, as clouds quickly gather
And the rain softens the dark.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
DAWN
I chanced to look near dawn
Out of my sorrow
And indigo was the wall
Outside my window
Surprised, I looked away
From night, my widow
Then stole another glance again
At my tomorrow
Tomorrow was in mute concert
Briefly I am my cello
Confused at my own melody
My poem, my strange bedfellow
But night is sheared now finally
Soft day echoes my hello
And as I rise, my waking thought
Sinks away into my pillow.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
BLOW ON
There is something
I want to write
– this has happened to me before –
That is:
It is the poet who wants to write it
While I, the pen,
Am yet in the dark
I only feel the heat of inspiration
The dark ink, flowing
The red blood, going
Somewhere
The wind, blowing…
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
IT KEEPS MOVING FORWARD
Light, Light, yon distant star
Ever and on you move
Forward, forward, always so far
Away in the distant grove
You call, I come, and then you are gone
You beckon, I follow, all on my own
Love, Love, yon burning star
Ever and on you go
Forward, forward, near and yet far
And forevermore we follow
Who is in my heart? Who are you?
All I know is that I love you.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
I SAW A TEMPTER
I heard a whisper
Which made more sense than it could have
And less sense than
It did
I felt a touch
Which was more intimate than it could have been
And less intimate than
It was
I met a stranger
Who looked more familiar than he should have
And less familiar than
He did
I perceived an odour
Which smelled nicer than it must have
And fouler than
It could
And then I saw a tempter
Who seemed exactly like I knew
A tempter ought not to be
Yet I knew it was temptation
Because it never answered my smile
Not the smile you see on my face
But the smile
That lives, always silent, in my heart
And the tempter
Does not answer this smile
Because how can you answer
What you don’t hear?
The silent smile who waits so gentle
Resides in everybody’s heart,
And anything that answers not my smile
Is not mine.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
EVEN MORE
I just saw
The most beautiful woman I have ever seen
On earth…
I just heard
The most touching birdsong I have ever heard
On earth…
I just lived through
My most breath-taking dawn ever
Upon this earth…
I just said
The most beautiful thing I have ever said
On earth…
Yet my spirit only laughed
And whispered:
Even more beautiful could it yet be.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 