There was once a person I once knew her for a short while I don’t know what happened to her Or who she became or what lifestyle I have no idea where she is now I never discovered where she went to Or who she mixed herself up with, if any If she still exists, what she’s going through But she made my heart childlike Before she suddenly disappeared Without a trace - I pray to God, Who knows it all, To always be with her wherever she is And give her protection, progress and peace And guide her to a beautiful place Full of flowers, true love, honesty and bliss. Che Chidi Chukwumerije Poems from the inner river
the past
I CANNOT REMEMBER
I cannot remember all the good I did
I cannot remember all the evil I did
People remind me
As you go through the world today
Be mindful of the things you say
And do to those who cross your way
People will remind you one day.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije
Poems from the inner river
LOVE TODAY
When you see the future
It becomes the past
And the future becomes again
Unknown to you
To spend your life exploring your future
Is to spend your time scrutinizing your past
It is to miss all the joy and pain
The moment holds for you.
There is only one future
The result of what you do today
There is only one past
Tomorrow it will be today.
Love me today. Make a new tomorrow
Hope is my crystal ball
I see your heart aching for laughter
And laughter after laughter.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
TURN AROUND
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.
DROP AWAY
A few birds still twitter
Even when the woods are cold
And when a gentle wind blows
And the autumn leaves russle
Hush hush
Around my ears
Then my years drop away again
Back to the beginning
And rush ahead once more to the end.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
YELLOW SUN
And we shall sing as though
There be no morning,
Hear the night sway softly along, my dear
My heart is trying to say something
But I’ve forgotten the language
Of my ancestors…
But when we sing, I remember
A time before Christmas and December
When red earth and green hill and blue sky
Were home enough for us.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
SURVIVAL
What don’t I know
About you is what
I silently ask myself
Each time you ask me
What I’m thinking
As I think about you
How many wars
Have you fought, won and lost?
How many lives have
You taken, how many given?
How much hunger did you endure
To nourish so much anger?
How many loves have pierced you?
How many wounds are
Dripping a trail back to
How many acts of survival?
All I see is the smile in your eyes
And the hope in your heart.
– Che Chidi Chukwumerije.
Che Chidi Chukwumerije 