Triumph

Sometimes I like to look back to where I have been and map the progress of change and the bouts I have fought in the arena of life. I believe that this process is how we evolve as people and how the unexplained becomes explained. No matter what life has dealt us; if we are still here, we’ve prevailed.

By Charles Sapp II

The Sun’s tidal forces take over my body.

The Heavens and Earth hold dominion of my physical self.

My internal being shivers with recognition of loneliness and captivity,

until the awareness unthaws and breaks free from the molding of confinement.

The adventures of a new frontier await me,

as the sound of distant discoveries beckon my desires to investigate.

Eyes wide open in the dark,

scanning surfaces to detect a glimmer of hope, resting with inertia.

The strength of change,

emotionally transforms the human landscape as seasons approach,

where destiny reroutes its destination as we confirm truth from ideology.

My soul basks in nature’s light,

to absorb the current condition of existence

as it rains down with flash floods of awareness

where the weight of the world rests upon me.

At night the Moon consoles me;

she spotlights the key elements that make us dream

and leave the insignificant hidden in the dark.

The process leaves an open wound

and the reparation of mankind is symbolic to the healing.

I dive head first into the abyss of my body,

swimming deep to revive my drowned soul of the past

by breathing new hope and restoration of faith

into a body that has been beaten, bruised and cut by life.

My outer shell has toughened as my inner self has grown stronger.

Reality is what you make of it

and I realize that I am a hero to myself.

Masculinity

By Charles Sapp II

A man is a man
with a full spectrum of emotions,
equalized and balanced.
Emotions are the ingredients that make us human;
showcased, worn as a badge of honor,
proud to express his feelings
as a lesson to his son.
Fear is for survival and tears are for release,
strengthening the spirit by exposure.

A man is a man
when he takes ownership and responsibility
to all that equates to his life,
a protector
of the precious, helpless and the fragility of nature.

A man is a man
when ego is banished from the confines of the mind
and justice is found at the mercy of his actions.
A man that is versatile with his touch,
a creator of love and the nurturer of passion.

A man is a man
when he is a father to all who seek his inner truth
and his seeds flourish into living testaments
of his power and will
and propagate as potent masterpieces of his labor and creativity
as gifts to the world.

A man is a man
who lives shamelessly
and not easily swayed by the shifting of the winds;
grounded and deep rooted like the Sequoias—
equally respected.
A man that bleeds with dignity,
knelt on both knees
and kisses the Earth
that women walk, where children dance
and brothers bled.
A man is simple
and humble
with complex emotions.