My New Book “The Wolf In You” is Out Now!
Hi everyone!
I am over the moon to be able to announce that my new book “The Wolf In You” is now available to buy from Amazon in paperback and for kindle!
Follow this link to the Amazon website right now to get yourself a copy! 😊
-Mark
My Poem “Nature and Me”
There are some mornings
when I walk out into
the bright light of a new day
when I feel like I am being
compelled to walk in a particular
direction so that I may go somewhere
that my heart, my mind, my soul,
the path before me needs me to be –
and sometimes the place I am drawn to
is somewhere I find myself returning to:
a place where I felt an awakening within me.
A place of tall trees that has always
felt like a natural cathedral, a church,
a temple, a place of worship
that has always meant so much to me…
a sacred place that I have a connection to
since the moment I walked under
the sun-drenched summer leaves
of its canopy and since I first
walked upon and through the
glowing green grass that in
the summer time carpets
the forest floor before me.
A place of beauty seemingly far away
from the rest of the world
that has inspired countless inhales
of intoxication of the pine laced air
that has always been the cure
and the spark to bring alive
and bring together every thought,
every instinct, every hope,
every beat of my heart in unison
with one another.
When I am walking on my own
I always feel like I have been gifted
and I am following the path
that I need to take to bring
everything into focus, to give me clarity,
to see the poetry that explains
things so simply and yet so profoundly
without the need for an audible
explanation to be heard.
A spirit, a joy, a presence
has on numerous occasions
made me close my eyes and open
my arms wide as I take in every moment
that I feel directly connected
to the source of all life in the universe
that I feel is my greatest gift
and which I believe is that
inexplicable perception of reality
that people for a long time have had
many names for but which is commonly
known as their “sixth sense” –
that is what I feel and that is what I see
when there is no one else around
and it is just nature and me.
My Poem “Masked”
Masks are everywhere these days
and they are being worn
by many people in many ways –
but some masks have been worn
for much longer and for more reasons
than for what and for why some people
now wear them for and for what
they now wear them
to protect themselves from.
The masks that people wear
every day, sometimes for years,
look like a face that you might
remember and recognize –
but beyond, behind, and below
that mask of skin and muscle
often lies the real person:
someone who may be crying out
from inside a deep and dark tunnel
where they are troubled by
thoughts, feelings, and emotions
that at times of intense trauma
make them feel like they are
a prisoner within the cell of a prison
the walls of which no one else
could ever possibly understand.
People often wear masks
which have smiles upon them –
however, in reality, the true face
that they are wearing on the inside
is one like that of a sad clown
with tears running down their face
and ruining the makeup that they wear
to continue to sell the facade
that helps them not break down
physically, mentally, and emotionally
whenever someone gets too close
for comfort and they start
to stop and stare.
Wearing masks is not a new thing,
however the wearing of material masks
has become more normalised
and is more prevalent than ever…
people often wear emotional masks
so that they can go through life
and are not constantly being asked
whether they are alright
or whether there is something the matter.
Things like the physical pain
and the psychological anguish
that people have to daily cope with
are easier to hide when seen
from far away but they are harder
to disguise when seen up close…
some people need to wear masks,
because who they reveal themselves to be –
perhaps when they are alone
in the shadows of their bedroom
and listening to the music
of their favourite artist,
when they can finally let
their inner-self be free –
is often not the same person
who they want to see,
or want to be seen,
in reflection, or by anyone,
because the face of who
they really are is that of someone
whom only they know
and whom only they know how to be.
My Poem “Being Brave”
Even while there are still clouds
creating a fog that makes it
hard to see what is going to happen
next and when things will once again
return to a state of normalcy
there are embryos of new life
growing within people,
there are sparks of light
sending out signals,
there are new shoots
of growth coming from old plants
continuing to revitalize
our thoughts, our dreams,
our shared existence, our planet.
Small pockets of happiness
have started to reemerge…
small gestures of generosity
are being made by those
who want to do something
for somebody else…
small pieces of creativity
are being found to bring joy
to those who are struggling the worst…
the smallest of things quickly become
important in a person’s life
and they can give those in need
unlimited amounts of hope.
There is always a way out
of any dark place…
there are always lights
to guide everybody –
on Earth as well as in outer space…
there is always somewhere
that we all feel safe…
there are always possibilities –
which is why sometimes
the strongest thing that anybody can do
is to remember to take every day
as it comes and if possible
to embrace the power of being brave.
My Poem “Nightingales”
Walking out into the morning light,
as the sound of the Nightingale’s song
can be heard heralding a new day,
men and women seamlessly
cross paths and exchange
distinct and yet unique calls
of mutual and reciprocal
strength, solidarity
and understanding
to one another in order to help
sustain those continuing
to give care to those in need
as well as to give those returning home
something to aid their sleep
as they prepare to say goodnight.
The care of patients in hospitals
is a round the clock necessity…
the care of people struggling
to breathe these days is among
the highest of priorities…
the attention given to people
unable to fully realize what
is happening to them is done delicately…
now is the time when we see –
almost every hour of every day –
so many examples of people
exhibiting the best traits of humanity.
The daily lives of countless people
have been effected and disrupted,
and everybody in one way
or another has had to adapt to
different ways of behaving that may
have seemed alien before the world
was seemingly turned upside-down…
we are all trying to be there for
those who are in lockdown
and those who are sheltering within
their homes because they are among
our society’s most fragile.
Being caring and thoughtful
in the service and in memory of others
is always a powerful way of thwarting
any and all inner demons and doubts…
being there when and where we are needed
and never ceasing to make our
calls of hope resonate as loud as possible
is what we can all do every moment
of every day and in turn use
the power of our voices in such a way
that may be heard and remembered
to be just as distinctive and joyous
as that of the sound of
a nightingale’s chorus.
My Poem “Bella”
There are so many beautiful
things that we see
and there are so many beautiful
moments that we experience,
but there are only a handful
of beautiful souls with a heart of gold
that we meet throughout our lives –
from people to animals –
who get us through the bad times,
who remind us of the good times,
who are there when we need them,
who look forward to seeing us
when we walk through an open door,
and it is the memories that we have
of these friends large and small
that everybody think back to
because what they still mean to us,
even after they have passed on,
is beautiful in every way
and the spirit of who they are
will live on and last a lifetime.
My Poem “Nature’s Poetry”
Every day when I walk
I feel like I am genuinely
hearing the voice of nature
talk and converse with me…
every day when I walk
and I see trees with green,
gold, brown, and red leaves
I am always fascinated to know
the story of how they came to be
and what the landscape looked like
before there was this impressive
oasis of forestry and home to so many
types of animals and their families.
Every day when I walk
I feel a deep connection with nature,
and even though I am always by myself
I admit that I never feel alone…
every day when I walk
I stand upon hillsides
and I look all around at countryside
and I feel so much inspiration
and power beating from this place
that I call my home.
Every day when I walk
I leave my footsteps
in grassy embankments
alongside those of the impressions
left behind by animals like
rabbits, foxes, deer, birds –
and while I follow the trail
left by others before me
I always stop momentarily
to inhale all the aromas of nature
being carried on the wind
that swirl all around me.
Every day when I walk
something that cannot be described
releases within me and just like that
I feel like I am a child again
and running without a care
through a field as green as could be,
as if I have walked back through time
and returned to being an earlier
version of me, as I used to be,
and there is always this amazing
feeling of belonging that I feel
accompanying me whenever
I take a walk and I draw upon
the inspiration of nature’s poetry.
My Poem “The Spirit of Life”
Whatever is within
must undoubtedly come out…
whomever is on the inside
must reveal themselves…
whatever remains to be said
will one day be said out loud…
whomever is usually free-spirited,
outgoing and who seeks the most
potent moments of life
will do whatever they can to
rebel and break free from
confinement above all else.
Whatever someone thinks
they know about themselves
the person who knows them the most
is their own reflection,
their own thoughts,
their own dreams, their own shadow,
their own voice, their own ghost…
whomsoever comes into a person’s life
will have an impact that cannot be
estimated or fully understood
until long after that first contact
grows into something meaningful,
substantial and it evolves
beyond to become something
deeper that can be shown.
Whatever drives the reason
for why someone does something –
something that was the initial idea
that created a spark into action –
will always remain at the heart
and will never stop being the source
from which every action afterwards
is generated…
whomsoever responds to whatever
they see, hear, feel and experience
are voluntarily and involuntarily
participants and contributors
in the process of maintaining
the fundamental stream and flow
of the spirit of life
that so many people see in others
and consider to be something important
that needs to be revered, cherished,
and never maliciously sedated.
