Un1versal Sessions

As the Dust Settles

2009-10-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

I have made many adjustments in my life and so many signs have pointed towards making time to do what I do best, which is write. 2009 has been a rebirth of a man with a new purpose. I was a victim of the econ-crisis and was laid-off for more than 8 months without state unemployment checks because I lived overseas. This was difficult, luckily I bounced back and have been slowly making my way towards normalcy and less bill collectors hunting me through my phone. Mid 2009 has been the best period of my life, I married the love in my life that kept me positive and on track. My wife was also the motivation to have me complete my college education. I have had my head buried in school work.

These changes have made an everlasting impression on my outlook and how I perceive life. All I have thought about was getting back into my craft and I am listening and feeling my way through how I feel. 5 months is enough time and I am blessed for all the encouragement. But isn't this the artists' progression?

Touched

2009-05-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

After having a spiritual encounter, I began to write and as I wrote all the words seemed to come from another source. I knew that I was within a special place and this special place stayed with me for quite sometime and most of the writing I was able to capture. After it was all said and done and the feeling subsided, I was left with a brand new view or vision of writing that was stored deep within. I believe that most writers or artist understand what this phenomena is, but can rarely explain it. This is my encounter:

by Charles Sapp II

Face to face with the empty void of uncertainty,

full with endless possibilities.

Staring at the future with eyes of determination,

eyes wide open as a leap of faith has been committed;

the black hole of entirety.

The point of singularity encompasses the events of yesterday

through tomorrow with series of sequences.

Human chaos to harmonious order,

written to remember,

spoken to be felt.

Touched by her voice,

records of time fill the backdrop of space;

free falling faster than light can see.

History becomes now.

Shadows loom in the distance,

in various degree,

arranged by the highest concentration of purity from the original

divulged from memory.

The choice is yours. Tomorrow is the rebirth of today, reclaiming innocence.

Cumulative faith,

balancing of power,

to be touched through impenetrable walls

and feel the organism of life.

Slowly the descent halts,

a suspension to the ether,

crossroads of the divine.

The rest of these writings can be found at www.spoken1verse.com

New Blog and New Features

2009-05-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

Where have I been in the last several months?
I have been toiling away at the design of my new journal adventure. I am happy to announce the launch of CharlesSapp.com ! This has been an enduring task to come away with total control of the way that I want to express myself.

The experience is quite different, I wanted to be able to express the hidden meaning and inspirations in my work. So, this is a companion guide to my previous website, Spoken1Verse.com which hosts all my poetry and music. It is also a companion to my published book "External Noise and Internal Silence," and the many other endeavors that I am pursuing. It is my plan to document a writer's progression within an indefinite time frame. All of us writers know that when we look back at our earlier works, we can see an evolution or transition throughout the moments of our lives. I will do my best to capture these developments via online journals, video documentary and a host of other interactive features.

In the past I have had many requests for obtaining my content, now I have made access to the material that has received so much attention. Thanks to my faithful readers. One can only say so much, I can only say come and visit, while there please sign my guest book, drop a comment or two, and sign up for my RSS Feed. I hope to see you soon!

Blog Recess During a Recession

2009-02-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

I found myself apologizing for not keeping up with my blog, website and other future endeavors, but lets face the real facts. A brother has been trying to deal with this recession and life takes precedence. However, I managed to still plug away and write and record music during these times. I guess real soul searching tends to emerge.

I could not motivate myself, therefore, I took a 3 month hiatus to look inward. Upon this three month journey, I noticed that most traffic seemed to derive from Entrecard droppers. I began to realize that most of what was written was a waste, if people only visit your blog to drop a card.
This is not what I intended, I did not want be apart of the random generated blogs.

I was lucky to have a nice group of regular visitors that interacted and engaged with my motives, assisted with my book promotion and constructive criticism; I reciprocated the love back. I think that that is what I missed the most.

Superfluous Design

2009-02-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

A collection of twisted signals
perpetual idiosyncrasies manifested to a bubble of fervor.

evaporated words lost in vapor
shrouds of ego disintegrate to reemerge victorious upon recognition.
superfluous design, immaculate perfection with hideous beauty.
treasure these fractions of time’s parting.

chronological dreams stringed together,
motion’s picture with no dialogue interfacing interaction.
graffiti on the walls of jealous hearts,
flamboyantly expressing its dramatic love and emotion.

full of sight’s gluttony, prohibited to touch.
to feel the outer boundaries of imagination, its surface becomes malleable
and conforms to interpretation.

this is what you’ve become,
exactly what you’ve always been,
the same way I’ve known you then,
is the same way you are now.

Change is Here

2008-11-05T11:58:00.001-08:00

Art by Ben Heine

The Sun rose over the horizon and changed night to day; the birth of a different future.
The Sun rose today…

Change has been called out before in the past and has been answered in the present.
My ancestor’s voice spoke the words of change into existence, so that I may see them with my own eyes.

What I see is a man with a dream fueled by his passion and who looks just like me, telling me that all you believe, you could succeed. It is that seed of truth that I preserve and transfer to my future me; that what I’ve witnessed, you will soon to be.

History is the never-ending story, rewriting itself as a documentary of time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. saw the future and spoke it as he envisioned it, as distant as his vision was, the illumination of its presence traveled many light-years like far-away stars, before it reached us, but now it is here so we may all see.

Creative Process

2008-09-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

I was given wonderful constructive criticism about my poetry, which stated that it stops short from the potential it has. I could not agree more from the pseudo to the classic poetry perspectives, however from the beginning of this blog, I stated that I never edit my work, it stands for something and the creative process that imbues from it. The motive is the motion of emotion that transpires from the writing, when too much thought is put into the writing, it denotes the qualitative meaning as the relationship from the artist and his medium bond. I firmly do not disagree, all work can be edited into a plethora different ways, which could then alter the message entirely, yet you have a stand-alone piece of work that has deviated away from its original intent.

I titled this blog 1VERSE for the relationship that all accumulated writings are written under the pretense of 1 epic verse with 1 breath spoken into existence as time progresses. The original aspect is that the poetry I have displayed is equivalent to the scribbles, scratched out words, misspellings, crooked writings that are found within my journal; all in its raw form and element, just in digital context. I wanted to personalize the blog with a human touch without dressing.

I welcome and thank all open forms of constructive criticism, especially when it allows me to focus on how the reader interprets or follows my work. As I revise and edit the formatting of my writings for the upcoming book, I find myself more receptive.

Thank you for your feedback and support.

Triumph

2008-08-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

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.

Sunrise and Sunset

2008-08-25T12:14:00.001-07:00

I write this poem as I remember the passing of my mother exactly 5 years ago from yesterday. She played an integral part of my social awareness and sensitivity. My mother raised 3 wonderful children and even though she may not physically be here with us, but her spirit remains ever-present.

By Charles Sapp II

The Sun rises and sets early,

this day I especially remember you.

The horizon is visible because of you.

You have been the closest I’ve been to God.

From you I came to be,

and now without you, a piece remains within me.

The love you gave to me shall never cease and expire.

Your early departure has never shorted your wisdom shared.

The seeds sowed have grown to mature trees and a sapling that bears creative fruit.

Your passion thrives

as it courses through our veins.

Your material form may be no longer,

but the manifestation of you can be seen throughout all that is beautiful

and is reflected by the watchful eye of the moon at night.

You are my heavenly mother,

secured throughout eternity,

within memory we shall never forget you.

Birth of a New Season

2008-08-22T12:36:00.001-07:00

Exactly one month from this day a new season will be among us and I feel that it is appropriate to write about the transition into a new season.

By Charles Sapp II

As the summer solstice of the sun shifts towards the vernal equinox;

the flood gates open and give way to the marine layer

that creeps along the coastal landscape;

a precursor to the shortening of the day’s light.

Above the land, birds catch drift to the winds current and migratory breeds

fly in formation, under a cadence of supreme innovation,

using celestial navigation and clouds as rest stops.

Atmospheric metamorphosis dually dependent

to the Earth’s axis and solar distance.

The sky inhales and we exhale, we breathe in unison.

Rainfall smelled from the distance

as the chatter from the trees can be heard awaiting the

gift from the heavens.

Meteoric showers spark the night sky

and constellations shift in parallax,

the observers of time and space

witnessing the birth of a new season.

1VERSE- The Book

2008-08-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

I have sporadically posted new writings upon returning from Beijing, China to only find myself immersed into a new project.

I have been working extensively to put out a collection of poems that span across the great reaches of time and space. This project is painstakingly difficult with the various revisions and formatting that will seamlessly transition from one thought process to the next.

The journey is a make-up of the variables that define life experiences and is told from the perspective of a young man finding his voice and speaking the words into existence; the Alpha & Omega from Genesis to Revelations. This collection is over 10 years in the making and all written under one breath and written aloud.

I write this post to apologize and to explain the seemingly lack of dedication, but please be prepared as the final print is scheduled for release by the holidays. I will provide updates as the date nears! I wish my faithful readers anticipate its arrival as much as I do. Thank you all for your patronage and support.

Windows

2008-08-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

By Charles Sapp II

Windows permit the flood of sunlight in,

metaphoric to the properties of truth;

the solar warmth retreats the night’s cold

to vaporous descent following the shadows oblivion

when facing the heart of pure energy.

The windows to the soul; the eyes,

discovers the harmony within.

The panoramic view of the night sky,

reveals the window to the heaven’s and the skyscape of limitless dreams.

I wish to find you there,

peering through the looking glass of my nascent beginnings;

Naïve from sheltered barriers that life restricts

rather it is the vehicle of my body or the confines of my fragile existence.

Parturient to a new found belief,

I whispered to your heart,

while the latent warmth quickly escaped from your body;

the departure towards your eternal life,

you spoke directly to me

using the language of my atmospheric passion;

the voice of thunder, exclaimed with bolts of lightning;

I experienced the passing of energy

while I viewed and listened through open windows.

A Poet

2008-08-13T10:40:00.001-07:00

Langston Hughes

Painting by Artist Winold Reiss, National Portrait Gallery

By Charles Sapp II

A poet,

inspired by the ebb and flow of life and their interaction upon mankind.

A poet,

who composes to release the collective energy upon those that are receptive

and transforms this energy into positive arrangements of love and passion.

A poet,

that has the responsibility to expose the nakedness of truth

with mere words spoken into existence

and obligated to extract the essence of beauty even from the ugliest face of nature.

A poet,

that dreams when awake and is awake when dreaming.

The writer and lover,

sees vivid patterns; to persuade the future.

A poet,

closes their eyes and visions the opening of the world’s mind.

A poet is the conduit of perspective and awareness,

behold the here and now, await the future.

Truants

2008-08-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

By Charles Sapp II

Those truant to the encompassing magnitude of tribunal gatherings,

where the world has spoken in unison.

As the perilous planet pirouettes through space,

beings cling to her surface with heads bowed with prayers of mercy.

The future has come,

what was told has been said;

what was written has been read.

Time’s translucent dictation of the past

and reoccurring present, will heed no more warnings.

The Earth has crumbled under the sheer weight of burden,

and trees have walked away with their roots.

The untamed wind hunts stealth with savage fierceness

and the tumultuous seas trespass the shore’s boundaries

in pursuit for vindication from unlawful treason.

The soil that has given birth to nameless children,

must now identify their selves.

The watchful eye of the Sun will now look away

as the Moon marks shame to the naked walkers of the night.

The planet will claim its independence as it existed before.

The world has spoken,

we have not listened,

evolution is in progress;

the delay is negligent

and time will not wait.

Love Offering

2008-08-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

Picture taken on 8/2/08 Reservation Beach, Marina CA.

This is my hundredth post and I wanted to commemorate it with the parallel loves of my life which is my soon to be wife and my writing. My two loves have transcended my expression and experience, during the darkest moments in my life and allowed me to see the full picture; the purity of simplicity and the beauty of entirety which encompasses all with the grace of love.

By Charles Sapp II

I’ve solidified the rain and summoned the Sun’s presence,

showcasing the crystalline beauty of diamonds falling from the sky.

I’ve presented this offering of love

to the one that I love.

She teleported herself through the ether of dreams from the future,

six years of riding on memory’s back,

she made her way to my heart.

Full and complete she filled my mind with strength and will.

The ambient foreshadow of reunited energies,

coalesced into a fire to never become extinguished.

She delivered me Red-Hots in a heart bag, with the scent of Pearberry lotion

so I may never forget her scent.

My love plot thickens,

as I envision us walking the opalescent sands of distant destinations

to wed our fate and cherish humble beginnings

as our lives have transformed and journeyed thus far.

She is the enlightenment I’ve sought for,

her presence makes my soul complete.

Destiny watches with magnificence and pride,

as it resurrected something beautiful from an ugly past.

Receptive to her love,

I deliver her my trust and respect,

I bow to her grace and look deep into her eyes

and allow my soul to speak

as it recites my pledge, my testament, and my verse

throughout eternity’s lifetime.

Spirit Child

2008-08-04T13:09:00.001-07:00

By Charles Sapp II

The spirit child

separating truth and wisdom with the sleight of tongue.

With the familiarity of attractive forces,

vaporous verses spewed from the lips of a hungry mouth,

summoning the creation of imagination with ghostly appearances.

In pursuit for love inhabited in the most inhospitable regions of the heart and mind;

the spirit child within lives.

The spirit is found in all,

the mystery of the subsequent is solved

by planting seeds of the future to procure our longevity.

The tight grasp of child's hands clasped into ours,

while awaiting the tide of change to rise;

wading in shallow waters,

feet become soaked as careful steps made towards the depths of the unknown.

The spirit child,

evokes the innocence and nourishment of love

within our co-existence concerning all matters of the heart.

The living verse spoken into existence and living breath inflating the lungs

while inquisitive nature hunts for answers as hunger propels the need for growth.

Remember the child’s comforting gaze,

transferring the strength and power we were once born with

as life is the adventure of acquired knowledge

and truth is the back-drop of its inspired essence.

The Conductor

2008-08-01T14:06:00.001-07:00

By Charles Sapp II

The germination of thoughts

spreading like wildflowers across the landscape of hillside ruminations,

musing over blissful clouds and meandering through sunset motifs.

Events of silent moments piqued by the crescendo of nature’s dialogue,

symphonized harmoniously with wing patterns beating against the wind,

as the sound of inspiration culminates and leads into artistic action.

Captivated by the orchestration of life playing live,

a personal concerto,

with the dim light mood and the nocturnal accompaniment

presents an evening of dancing silhouettes beneath the luminous moon

where silver incandescence sparkles like liquid mirages

transforming the landscape to a stage for the stars

Thoughts conceived and given birth to introspection

where life beckons and existence is animated by experience.

The energy seeps through the Earth and enters the body;

as a conductor, the written sermon, a testament of living power

transcendent upon all creatures great and small

living in unison,

beneath the heavens we play our part.

Aquarius

2008-07-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

By Charles Sapp II

The water bearer of life
invokes the essence of animated matter,
flowing through the passageways of time.
The fluid nature of innovation fruit ideas abound,
in an ethereal sense with embodied vision towards the future.
The silhouette from the Moon’s gravity on the surface of the ocean,
draws the body of water closer,
where aquatic boundaries are claimed under the rule of Aquarius
as water dominates the blue planet.

Uranus speaks with an enigmatic voice
this evokes direction as the Earth cycles.
The water bearer delivers consciousness and compassion
where human emotion revolves in patterns persuaded by universal concoctions.
The element of air eccentric and elusive,
invisible to sight and presence felt when summoned.
The oceans are receptive while the wind flirts with the course of change.

A humanitarian by impeccable design;
the watchful eye within the zodiacal domain
brings forth the dawn of a new age, a new millennium
as time escorts the energy from the past by flushing old concepts
with liquid love raining down upon the parched Earth,
delivering the equinox of the Sun as a gift
with all of its purity and divination of day and night.
Mankind embraced by the outpouring of heavenly love,
reinforced by altruistic fate
we begin to return our gaze to the stars focusing on the future.

Heroes & Heroines

2008-07-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

By Charles Sapp II

Heroes and Heroines forgotten within the present,

to become remembered in time’s passing.

The ones that devoted their lives

for unification, harmony, and the good will of fate.

Repelled by the succumbing darkness that waves its hands

by dimming the light towards receptive spirits.

Heroes,

humble with accordance to nature;

battle the shallow beasts’ attempt to overturn the bouts of grace

with anguish and tumultuous tribulations of humanities insubordination.

Heroes that replenish the body of water

with open wounds pouring their life force in sacrifice to the source

that sustains the proliferation of tranquility and peace.

The face of mankind speaks with great fervor,

yet the language of action is felt by the commonality of faith

where truth outweighs the subterfuge of the few.

Galactic graves and constellation memorials ignite the skies with honor,

as the beauty of purity pervades the emptiness of lost hope

and fills the void of eternal despair,

mankind can reflect on those that evoked consciousness throughout history.

Heroes that paved the road to the future

encompassing global change,

environmental awareness,

human rights

and the preservation of beauty through human compassion.

Voice

2008-07-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

I have pondered and reflected on the age of my writing and its process. I found that it was influenced greatly by various of my favorite writers and poets. I realized that my voice was a mirror of those that I aspired to be like. I was most influenced by those that had a knack to verbally paint pictures with descriptive ease and utilized the powerful imagery to motivate, inspire and reflect.

By Charles Sapp II

I’ve been searching for decades for my voice,

foreign and unfamiliar it has been.

My voice has been hidden beneath the layers of influence and inspiration,

found within the writers and poets of the past and present;

my identity was not of its own.

My voice

became the voice of Saul Williams’ spoken word that was heard from the distance

and echoed the whispers of Khalil Gibran and the words from the Prophet

and the Neon Vernacular of Yusef Komunyakaa illuminated my written verses.

The power of these writers and countless others have transformed my voice

and the development of heightened states of awareness.

My voice,

surfacing through the ages towards maturity

and conceptualized to define the soul and spirit of the collective,

My voice is merely the intertwined vocal intonations of self,

manifested through my predecessor’s dialectic wisdom.

My voice,

verbal with optimism as it reflects the surface of galactic waters,

and reverberates the serum of truth that pours out of each spirit encountered,

while journeying through the vocal cords of life.

My voice

has grown, enriched vision

with human awareness coalesced with cosmic concoctions

that speaks my words into existence.

My voice is the voice of humanity,

my voice is the soul that is buried deep within,

my voice has always been my voice,

made up of you and me.

Blackness

2008-07-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to watch the first part of the CNN Black in America special yesterday evening. It became my inspiration to write this poem and allowed me to reflect on my experiences as a Black man in America and in the world. Interesting enough the experience I had in the world speaks volumes to how Black is perceived and how it was established.

By Charles Sapp II

I was told that Black is the color of darkness

and represented by the negative nature that looms

in shadowed corners and dark alleyways.

They said Black is not beautiful,

but an ugly representation of ill fate

and the absence of the Sun in full gloom.

I was told that the word human is the derivative of a man with hue.

The complexion of culture symbolizes this true,

The Sun has not forgotten us,

the brilliance lies within the melanin.

I was told that my flesh does not determine how the world views me,

although the world blindly mistaken me

for having the mindset of centuries worth of castigated slaves

instilled with an inferior complex,

When spoken, my words undulate on deaf ears.

The Earth remembers

while the universe forgets as scars fade with time

and knowledge is the remedy for the future.

From what has been said and what I’ve been told,

spoken is the translated language of ignorance,

a language I cannot comprehend;

passed on by generations, its effects are evident.

The Black that I represent,

is in the unity of color

found in all human skin.

Evolution in Continuance

2008-07-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

By Charles Sapp II

The growth that separates living flesh from the Earth’s grasp,

seeking the living light that nurtures with divinity

and where the secure roots are twined deeply into evolving sanctity.

Learned to walk on ancestral soil with patience,

mobility embedded into memory as an earthbound walker,

following the sound of its own voice

as it echoes off the man-made boundaries.

Trespassing the line between dreams and imagination as figments dissipate;

reality becomes defined and validated by achievement.

As soon as water was able to walk on land

the oceans have rejected us from returning.

Taking a deep breath, while leaping into the sky

and swimming the cosmic sea,

the tethered roots snap and the cyclic nature of life repeats.

Learned to fly through inherited skies with grace,

without looking backwards

the Sun illuminates the path towards the future—

as settlements of dreams are constellated

for shared memories of an evolving species

recognizing its potential and redefining its future.

Thirst & Hunger

2008-07-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

By Charles Sapp II

The sensation of thirst and hunger intensifies daily;

examining the better half of self and its desires.

Identified by the mirroring image of nature inside,

the reflecting heart of the universe, coiled into radiant love;

the perpetual emotion of self love

that acquaints its alignment to raw truth and rare elements

fused at the core of all that matters,

exempt with no words to taint the composition of purity

found in all human integrity.

Silence is golden as the weight of the world

becomes buoyant and gravity ceases to exist,

succumbed by the magnitude of presence

and the sense of oneness,

one must retreat to the source of common equality.

Only there,

it breathes and swells upon inhale

as a collection of cells represent that within star systems;

within personal universes, time oscillates experience for comparison

past versus the future as an amalgamation of knowledge.

Only here,

I find peace and recycled love from the beginning

as it penetrates my personal space and quenches my thirst and satisfies my hunger.

Inward Recognition

2008-07-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

By Charles Sapp II

The first of my journey has been complete.
The winding roads have taken a straight path towards home.
The comforting arms of familiarity truly exists, like tomorrow’s nested hopes that bear fruitful futures.
Normalcy lost, in search to be found.
Faint subtleties appear then disappear into the calm waters of recognition of what once was,
as time changes paths and altered in accordance to the law of contentment.
The stars look back with recognition awaiting approval by the morning Sun,
granting a new day and rejecting yesterday’s doubts.

A colorful wheel of fortune spins for my choosing, but not for myself,
but for all whom may encounter my touch.
A conscientious decision made with eyes closed
and silent gestures of prosperity enriched with happiness
with an edge of fulfillment as I inhale opalescent colors and exhale translucent words of expression,
manifested silently as emotions that soothe thy soul
and atone my transition as a whole, like the eclipsing shadow that shrouds the visionary quest within,
questioning the day’s moment.
The digestion of time,
full from life’s experience and the exposure to truth.

Embrace of Change

2008-07-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

The homecoming back to the States has been a warm welcoming from family and friends. It has been a little longer than a month since touching down on California soil and since my farewell to China blog entry.

Ever since, my perspective has never been the same despite the economic grim, my optimism for a bright future grows exponentially. The road towards adjustment proves to be difficult from the ever present culture shock to the looming inflation of gas prices, but motivation of starting anew has kept me stable and the love from family has kept me grounded.

My writings have been put to the wayside during this transition period, as I filter through my experiences to project the new found consciousness my life has yet to be explained. This entry is my first step towards releasing the newly acquired forms of ideas, perspectives and outlook of the future when compared to the recent past.

To summarize my time back home, it is nothing more than self evolution in progress and I am happy to introduce a new chapter of me, while exploring limitless dimensions of unchartered regions as they are encountered.

I embrace change.