MANY STORIES

You have enemies you don’t know,
They get to your friends behind your back.
Those friends whose friendship was hollow
Succumb to them and join in their attack.

You have friends you don’t know,
They‘re there for you when you need them most.
They fight your fight, share your sorrow,
Rejoice with you, sometimes invisibly like a ghost.

You are not and never alone,
You are a part of many stories and memories;
Your life is an enrichment of someone else’s own
And is enriched by others’ and their testimonies.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river

PICK WITH CARE THE ENEMIES YOU BEAR

Pick with care
The enemies you bear
When the unexpected is near
They shall be there
To crown you.

When true friends
Step off the boat
Curious, how the river
Turns your coat
Around you.

Clear your throat
Vomit when no-one is looking
Regurgitated oaths
Pressure-cooking
Sunbrowns you.

If diplomacy
Be their tactless god
How shall he decipher
Your non-committal nod,
Proud you?

But brave soldier
It is the art of war
To live on in pages
Of folklore
Unbound to you.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

INTIMATE ENEMIES

A day
Is a long way to travel

A truth
Is a deep lie to unravel

A kiss
Is a message of sorts
Friendship is a breaching
Of the law of torts

Intimacy is most intense
When you and your enemy
Break down each others’ defence.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije