I dreamt that something did not arrive But think now as I may I cannot remember What it was in the night that didn’t arrive As though the memory I don’t remember Is itself what it was that did not arrive. Morning comes and I am alive Full of tomorrow’s energy and drive So I wonder what it was I forgot today I guess it must be yesterday. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Poetry
THE TURNING POINT
Sometimes you can‘t really tell When or why you lost interest in a person When exactly the bondage fell And you finally understood life’s lesson Being mediated to you through them A fallen leaf is a priceless gem It mothers and yields a new rising stem. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
YOU MUST BE PATIENT
There will be hope But the heart must cope First with a season Of conflict sans reason This moon is long faced And tied to a dead sea Rolling scrolls misplaced By startled history. You must be patient Time is clairaudient It hears your heart beating And your footfalls repeating The dance to victory. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
THE RIVER IS RUNNING
The river is running The river of blood Swallowing up, drowning The kwashiorkor road A finger on a trigger Is going to pull one day Mushroom clouds bigger Than any from yesterday. The time has come again To learn how to survive And stand alone in your pain If only you are left alive Children torn from parents Friends and families will scatter In wars between governments Of people who think they matter. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
AGE OF DAMAGE
This is a war that has been waiting to happen They don’t love each other and never did They are not forgiving each other deeds overlapping Generations whose hatred they never hid They send missiles to greet each other The way you and I send words to one another When we’re angry and pain does not bother To differentiate between strangers and brothers It is the age of damage The stage of rage and carnage Angry birds in an iron cage Trapped in rampage. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
AVERSION
It’s always amusing to me When in the midst of a White Sea I see one Black face And when he or she sees me They seem to panic visibly And avert their face Avoiding eye contact completely And seem to be begging me Not to look at their face Immersed in their White company Proving hard to them their loyalty. To save their face After looking at them thoughtfully For a while, I walk past them gently With a calm face Because we don’t altercate publicly We will do that when next we see Face to face. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
YOUR COLOURED SHELL
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
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
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
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
