Life
The bud struggling with itself
Longing to burst into flower
And sacrifice herself to the light
Nations locked in inner turmoil
Searching for the other half
Of the yellow sun
People thirsting for freedom
And then a Cadillac rolls past
A homeless person under the bridge
Their eyes meet in shock of recognition
They are the same
Or soon will be.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
The past became a picture
Picture imperfect
Stop looking at it
Walk away…
The answers lie ahead, not behind
Happiness comes forward, not back
You walk into freedom when you turn
Around and walk away
Stop looking at it
It does not exist anymore…
Walk away.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
Bottling up the thoughts
Will not get rid of them
Yet speaking them all too soon
Is folly…
In the depth of silence
Assuming silence to be a lake
There is a cave
Wherein it glows like
Happiness
Bury your thoughts quietly within this
Cave of silent happiness
And no matter how rough a storm it be
That rocks the lake…
When all is calm again
Your thoughts
Will emerge matured and multiplied
And urge you
Urge you to set them free…
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
I am another blackbird
I want to fly high up in the sky
Shy and bold
Freed and loved
Here and there and
Everywhere.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
More important is yourself
A traditional mind might wear
A cultural dress might tear
A social responsibility could grow cold
An educational dream might never unfold
Or maybe it will
Still
More important is yourself –
Be yourself.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
(Image by Couleur)
You are not yonder desert
That cried a wailing note
In the history books of strangers
Oh no! Nor a lost ocean
Shedding tears on every shore
Its aching fingers can reach, oh no!
I say what you hear, yes
Believe what you hear me say to you
You are not lost in translation
Did your lips taste the flesh of my teeth
Or your tongue flower with grace?
I see your ears smiling
Now, lie still and let the seeds of prophecy
Germinate and take root, roots
That grip your earth, yearning with fruit
I did it twice for a reason
The first time to make you feel at home
The second time to set you free again.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
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.
Life is a burden made light
By the weight of sacrifice
Your life is useless unless used to the full
For something meaningful and useful.
Self is heavy, selflessness is light
The battle is painless for them that fight
The volunteer’s prize is dignity
Freedom is not for free.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
from THE BEAUTIFUL ONES HAVE BEEN BORN
I heard a soft cry in the night
And knew not where it came from
Through the open window
It floated in on a warm summer’s night
Just one cry, soft and intense
And short it shuddered the night
Like a single pulse of night’s heartbeat
Swallowed up in echoless suspense
I knew not if it was a cry of pain
A cry for help, of fear or of liberty
Or if it was a cry of crowned ecstasy
Of one in pleasure and passion lain
It spoke of terror and sang of delight
A mystery that revealed neither where nor why
All I knew was that it was the soft cry
Of some woman’s voice in the night.
– CHE CHIDI CHUKWUMERIJE.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 