The last was the first
It burst out of the blue dark skies
And brought light! It shone
And won our hearts, our better parts, our bitter parts
Yet it was the last.
The first was like the last
It melted away softly into wintry blues
And, oozing, seemed to reunite with windows closed
And nothing more was to be said, all appeared dead.
Yet it was the first.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Life is a vineyard
I’m thinking of wine, you know wine?
Internalise life in little sips
Don’t rush me, don’t rush you
Life even then is strong enough.
Life is a graveyard
You pass it by, reluctant to look in
It scares you
Littered with the memories of the reflection
Of your certain destiny
It brings you into deepest reflection
Most sober. Life, you scare me to death.
Before I die I want to love somebody
I need to love somebody
I cannot just come and go like that
I want to love somebody with all my heart
With all my heart
At least once in my life.
And then I loved somebody and it
Was still not enough. And then I knew:
Before I die, I need to believe in something
And fight for something and live
For something more important to me
Than my own self. To be myself is
To become selfless.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
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.
She had a promising career ahead
Of her but she lost that fire
And whether or not she found herself instead along the way
Is a subject of debate amongst her
Observers. She is different of late –
And then we all sat down and spoke again
About What is truly the Aim of Life.
Career? Money? Power? Fame? Or the search for God?…
Peace of mind? Is it mental and physical health? –
Love? Family? Travel? And experiencing?
Because we all go out the same way we came in
With hearts full of hopes and regrets.
–Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
foot fault
pillar of salt –
halt! assualt
upon a moment of magic
timing almost tragic
never less expected
something so unexpected
the beauty of the game beckons on
through controversies in split seconds born
if time be a vault
into which the past retreats
then to it relegate the foot fault
and retake your seats
for the players play on
and the stayers stay on
and the logic of life, the magic game, beckons on.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
There is comfort in pain
Like these tears that spill my eyes
Mine heart shallt drink
When I am alone
They all left me, one bye one
But I shall not break
Like the palm tree, bent under
My laugh will be straight again
A lane travels through the woods alone
Asking for no company
Neither loving nor hating those that
Walk on him and leave him behind.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije
You will find, strangely enough, that you actually secretly desire the downfall of the person, place or thing that you love.
You will find, strangely enough, that the person you hate is the person you love; and the thing you fear is the thing you hope for; and the place you leave behind is the place you are going to.
You will find, strangely enough, that your friends envy you, and you envy your friends; and your enemies admire you, and you admire your enemies.
You will find, strangely enough, that you long for what you cannot have, and disdain what is easily yours; and already you have what you are still seeking for.
You will find, strangely enough, that the biggest fool is inside you and the wisest sage resides there too, and the fault which you can tolerate the least in others is the very one which you finally have the most.
You will find, strangely enough, that love is like the air and, thus, everywhere – and, like the air, sometimes you breathe and sometimes you suffocate.
And I also wonder why the other world always seems more intriguing to the person just coming from it.
What am I looking for? Anywhere I go, you go. And, in the end, you will call me your teacher, your helper, your friend. But I, I cannot help but try to understand what happened to me as I fell.
You will find, strangely enough, that even after I’ve hurt you, you still love me; and after I’ve healed you, you still detest me; and after you’ve comprehended me, you still fear the unknown side of your destiny.
So why not just open up your eyes once and for all, and do it all over again – and, this time, do it right.
You will find, strangely enough, yourself.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
There you see her, over yonder, bathed in beauty and love… it is the beautiful mountain which I once peaked – wild and calm, primitive and yet new and fresh, a restorative to my battered soul.
But when it was time to move, I discovered that I could not take the beautiful mountain along with me, however hard I tried; so I left her behind and journeyed on. Yet, strange to say, with each step away from her that I take, she comes more alive, grows bigger and bigger within my heart – because when I left her behind me to find the Tomorrow Mountain;… when I forsook her for to seek the next peak;… I took her along. But if I had stayed with her, then in truth I would have departed from her. And, tomorrow, when I crown a new beautiful mountain, she will also be there, for all true mountains unite at every distant new peak again.
It is hard to explain in words the things which we harbour inside of us. I too try and try, but ever and again I fall short of fulfilment. Why? Where did I go wrong?
Tomorrow is the only friend I have.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
Music made me
A bird saved me
A smile undid me
A woman slew me
A friend betrayed me
And I dug myself out of the Grave.
A wound bled me
A sword healed me
A dream baffled me
A heart became me… became I…
A Call reached me
Here, there and everywhere –
Now, tell me
If you understand humanity yet?
– 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.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 