Love

THROUGH CHEQUERED FIELDS

~ Che ~ 9 Comments

There’s a woman I met
When the night was dark and long
And she walked, she walked along
Alongside me…

And she walked and walked with me
Through fields of chequered thoughts
And she said, she said everyday to me:
We belong together…

Together, wherever you go
Together, wherever you are
Together, however life fares
Together we walk
Where fears are hard to hide
She walks within my heart, golden torch bearer
And love forever mine.

I say it everyday to her:
Thank you, Love
But all she does, when all is grey
Is walk, she walks within my heart.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

PARTING

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

In the tears in his eyes I saw the question
What will happen to her
When I am gone?

There was a tenderness about the way
He looked at her, spoke to her
Touched her arm with every third word

And his eyes that looked into the distance
Were not gazing back at their past
Or wondering about his afterlife

They were looking into her future and marvelling
At the fact that life goes on
Even when you’re gone.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

BEFORE I DIE

~ Che ~ 1 Comment

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.

ALL I NEED IN THIS LIFE OF SIN

~ Che ~ 2 Comments

There is something about being different –
People can’t place their finger on it, can’t say why…
Some think it’s your colour
Some think it’s your hair
Some think it’s your religion, your culture, your upbringing and education –
Whence is the origin of that which is deeper than style?

Well, when God sunk me, a melody,
Into the soils of soul searching
He must have watered me with the laughter of your wellspring
Because you are my taste
When I feed upon His Word –
Ssshh, I say no more.

Blessed be he, that wandering bard,
Who in sweet swansong sighed and said:
“All I need in this life of sin
Is me and my girlfriend.”
I know what you mean, Tupac.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

AT THE HOSPITAL

~ Che ~ 1 Comment

In the hospital waiting room
It was not the sick who were ailing
But the healthy who accompanied them

I saw more worry in the eye
Of many a mother
Many thoughts on the brow of
Each accompanying husband

I saw that love shares burdens
And carries them doubly
And friendship will go the extra mile
And family is a wordless wonder
And the heart is the deepest mystery on earth.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

PRIDE AND PAIN

~ Che ~ 1 Comment

That Mountain yes
It is high, hard, rugged, dogged
And casts a long shadow

It will not stop you
From arriving the other side
Of your pride, when love touches you –

You say it, I’m sorry
It hurts but not for long
Pain heals. I’m sorry…

Those tears are more powerful
Than a waterfall, every barrier will break
In their wake, they will wash the air
Clean, like nature’s storm –

I’m sorry is a power that is a winner.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

WINNING HEART

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

Success is attractive. Only success.
Yet she found you attractive
For you alone were successful
At conquering her hardened heart

There are many walking wounds on earth
Many crusted souls aching for life
Think not that you are nothing
Simply because you never made it to that school
That job, that position, that wealth, that status…
It is also success to heal a human heart.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

WHERE THE WORLD STOPS

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

You make me richer
The more I give to you
The well fills the pitcher
Lovingly. This is from me to you
Sings the well, a wishing well
No coin can grant the wishes
That kindness will, a kindness well
Your heart, a table of rare dishes
More profound than profundity
Wiser than the wisest sagacity
Where it stops – the world – there begins
Aye there begins Friendship, and wins.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

FREED

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

Hardly a night goes by
Hardly a breath flows, an evening
Melts
Without this thought
You brighten my life

Curly windows
When the crowds are many
I am alone

I wanted to be a nightingale
To be a flower
I wanted to be a star
The evening wind blows
I am human. Let it be…

Sometimes again
Freed from the city’s shackles
Hackles, hard tackles
I am green, bright yellow, blue as sky
Glad am I.

– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.

SUCCESS AND FAILURE

~ Che ~ Leave a comment

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.