Recognitions await the explorer The tail wags the dog Sometimes when they play The ears wade through the fog When eyes can’t see the way Nearer is not always clearer The fire comes from the log There’s also sadness in May Our life is our only authentic blog What we do says more than what we say Even a mirror needs a mirror A princess prefers a frog The night is the dreamers’ day Quiet people are also intensely agog With excitement they don‘t display To think otherwise would be an error. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
ENDLOSE SCHLEIFE
Ich warte in der Leitung Und die Leitung redet mit mir Als wären wir Gesprächspartner Und trennt mich von Dir. Das, was uns verbinden soll - Sprache, Werte, und so viel mehr - Ist zwischen uns zur Wand geworden, zum unüberquerbaren Meer. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Im Jahrzehnt der deutschen Dichtung
INNER WARMTH
There is fire in your Heart Even though you keep quiet Or laugh loud to play your part When awkwardness is at its height It is a warm quiet resolute fire Burning subterraneously A nocturnal town-crier Subtle intensity Everybody in your vicinity Is warmed by you Without understanding completely Why they like being with you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
DER INNERE DURST
Durst. Wenn Du Durst hast, ist jeder Mensch ein Brunnen und jeder Kuss ein Fluss Wasser Wasser überall doch statt den Durst zu löschen gibt’s flüchtigen Genuss Erstaunlich die Erkenntnis: oft erfrischender als ein Kuss ist ein freundliches Servus. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Im Jahrzehnt der deutschen Dichtung
UNMISSING A PERSON
You know, when you do not Want to stop missing a person, but… One morning you rise and go through the day and only In the evening do you realise That today you forgot to be lonely And in that moment when you remember That person, you wait for the familiar pain… But as sure as August breaks into September The ache is gone, you’ll never feel it again. You know, when you do Not Want to stop missing a person… Because missing that person Is the only thing you’ve still got - But… One day even that leaves you too. Yes, even you. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
MACH EINFACH!
Lauf! Schneller! Strahl! Heller! Leb! Wohler! Mach! Fehler! Steh auf und geh weiter. Dein Glück, Du bist der Hersteller. Deine Rolle, Du bist der Darsteller. Deine Geschichte, Du bist der Erzähler. Überzeuge Dich, Deinen wichtigsten Wähler - So bleibst Du froh und heiter. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Im Jahrzehnt der deutschen Dichtung
REJECTION
When people reject you They don’t realise they’ve done you a favour; You can move on from the rejected you And metamorphose into a higher nature. Had they accepted you You would have remained the old creature In that lower state unaware that you Could have activated this new extra feature That has deepened, strengthened, elevated you. Rejection is ejection into motion, An injection of self-reflection Towards redemption and transformation. An injunction to move, and motivation To self-improve in a new direction With grit, with purpose, and with intention. On the path towards self-realisation and self-actualisation, every new rejection Is another tiny course-correction. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
NEITHER HERE NOR THERE
Those that live in foreign lands But never really left their home Whose hearts never cup the sands Upon which their reluctant feet roam And the prints made where each boot stands Will be washed away by the evening foam Of a suspicious tide that never understands The ripened fruits of an alien-like biome - - Ye shall go back home with empty hands To a strange land that is no longer home. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
ABRUTSCHEN
Hatte jeder obdachlose Mensch früher mal ein Dach über dem Kopf? Ging in den Kindergarten, zur Schule, kannte Familie, Wärme, Mamas Topf? Spielte mit anderen Kindern sorgenfrei, träumte vom tollen Erwachsenenleben? Stellte sich dann stolz und zuversichtlich deren Herausforderungen und Streben? Was, wann, wo, warum lief es schief? Mein bester Freund, Deine Schwester gar. Ein Vater, Nachbarn, die alte Klassenlehrerin. Eine tiefe Bindung macht aus uns allen eine Schar. Dieses Verbindende ist unsere Vulnerabilität - Sie verpflichtet uns zur wachen Mitmenschlichkeit, Denn keiner ist ganz sicher vor dem Abrutschen über den Rand und in die Obdachlosigkeit. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Im Jahrzehnt der deutschen Dichtung
AI CANNOT SATISFY
AI Cannot satisfy The longing for reality The thirst for humanity It can only replicate duplicate Reiterate concentrate elucidate Our past in all its profusion The sum of all our confusion Neatly packaged in a way That appeals to our Today But it will not give us anything new. The future is still the spirit’s purview. If we want the new then we must Do what we have in the past Always done to grow: Let go of the past. Raising the intuition above the intellect We much reach deep within our depths And pull the new out from ourselves Because there is a magic that flows from Above Into our Intuition, our secret treasure trove. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 