Year: 2019

My Poem “Roses”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , ,

Roses are like people,
they come in many different colours…
Roses are delicate…
Roses are strong…
Roses are some peoples’ favourite flower…
some people believe that roses
symbolize perfection
and that the perfume that they breathe out
is what you would breathe in
if you were to take a walk
through a garden in heaven.

To some people roses are
the flower of love…
to some people roses are
what you give to the one you love
on Valentine’s day, on an anniversary,
or at any time of the year
when you want to give someone a gift
that comes from the heart.

Roses symbolize beauty…
Roses embody life…
Roses can mean many things
to many people…
Roses, like people, should never
be underestimated –
and the closer that you get to a rose
the more that you should be aware
of their petals, their strong stems,
and also the thorns that they wear
for protection.

Roses are given, roses are received…
Roses bloom for a short time
and then they return to place
from where once came…
Roses will always mean something
profound to those who know
and understand the meaning of life,
of love, and the perfect dream of who
and what we will someday find
waiting for us all in the multicolored
vistas of heaven above
where roses can be found
lining every street.

My Poem “Everybody is a Poet”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The truth –
no matter what anybody tells you –
is that everyone is an artist,
everyone is a Poet,
everyone can do something unique,
everyone has a talent,
everyone has something that they are meant to do,
everyone has the spirit, the soul, the mind
than when honed is capable of doing anything,
expressing anything, experiencing everything
that makes life on this planet worth living…
If you can make someone smile,
if you can make someone laugh,
if you can make someone think,
if you can make someone feel something,
then I am happy to tell you
that you are an artist, you are a poet,
you are a member of a world wide
society of people who embody life
from every extreme on the scale
of reality in which we are capable of
inhaling and exhaling…
Money can’t buy you many things –
and one of the things that it can’t buy
is yourself: your life, your memories,
your experiences, your perspective,
your joy, your happiness, your hopes,
your fears, your nightmares, your concerns,
because all of those things are unique to you alone
but they can be shared and sympathized with others
because there are always others who have similar,
universal, human, psychological, physical,
and verbal insights into the kaleidoscope
of thoughts, dreams, and emotions
that drive the engine of nature
that surrounds all of us…
There are things in this life, in the universe,
that nobody can see –
when astronomers look up and back in time
to the beginning of the universe
they find an impenetrable wall of light and energy:
the innermost shock-wave from the explosion
that created everything that we see,
from the moment of the Big Bang, frozen in time –
which surrounds the answers to some of the most
important questions ever asked: Why are we here?
What is the meaning of life? Is there a God?
Everybody asks questions – that is what we do,
and that is what humanity has always done…
Everybody has a story to tell
and everybody is a storyteller
and a character in their own right…
Everybody goes on a journey during their life
to find themselves and what they believe
should be their purpose while they are alive
on Earth and a member of this world…
Everybody creates a little piece of art every day,
but sometimes it can take a while to interpret
what someone is trying to say –
however, in their own way,
even if they do not realize it,
and even if they are not actually using words
to communicate their feelings and motivations,
a person’s actions can speak volumes,
and in my opinion every action that someone
makes should be classed as poetic…
I have met a lot of people throughout my life,
and I have heard, seen, and I have read stories
about people from vastly different walks of life –
and the conclusion that I have come to
is that everybody, in their own way,
is an artist, and everybody is a Poet.

“Sunrise” by Seen feat. Mark Hastings – Out Now

Mark Hastings me, music, Poetry , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Summer Melodies Vol.2” – featuring Seen and my song “Sunrise” is Out Now and available to stream and download on Spotify! Listen to our new song and the entire uplifting and progressive sounding album by following the link below:

-Mark

My Poem “Mobile Inspiration”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , ,

I find that I do some of my best
writing while I am mobile…
I find that I am my most inspired
while I am traveling,
while I am looking out of a window
at somewhere, at something,
that instantly steals my mind away…
I find great inspiration when I am
above the clouds traveling at
the speed of sound looking down at the ground
and wondering who I am looking down upon
and who is looking up towards me…
I find that my thoughts sometimes
go on their own journey to somewhere else entirely
that cannot be reached physically,
and I wonder if this is what heaven feels like –
when our consciousness and our spirit
has become separated from our bodies
and we are able to float freely anywhere
we want like a boat on the surface of a sea…
I find myself experiencing something supernatural,
something comforting, something mesmerizing,
something enlightening, something wonderful,
while I am autonomous, free, travelling, and mobile.

My Poem “The World keeps going”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Heading down the highway,
as a black and yellow Ford Mustang flies past me,
as a blue and white airplane flies overhead
and comes into a landing at a nearby airport,
as the early morning sky glows bright blue,
and as the early morning sun breaks through,
shines its light, and creates places
that glow and are warm, and also places
that are colder because they are cast in shadow…
There is such a hive of activity for such an early hour…
There is such a palpable momentum
in so many people’s actions…
There are so many examples to be seen
of people repeating the same cycle…
There are so many examples of people
acting without having to think…
There are so many early birds out and about…
There are so many people with a job to do…
There are so many people driven by a purpose…
There are so many people driven by a thirst…
There are so many people
compelled by the same energy
that drives everybody on Earth…
There are so many people with a gift…
There are so many people with a curse…
There are so many people with intentions,
plans, ideas, who embody
the same creative aspirations
as I believe God had when he created the universe…
The day has only just begun –
but already the travellers are already traveling,
the homeless living on the streets are already begging,
the shoppers are already shopping,
the readers are already reading,
the writers are already writing,
the actors are already acting,
parents are already looking after there children,
friends are already sharing their time with one another,
and the world is already doing
what the world does best, no matter the snow,
no matter the cold – like Groundhog Day:
the world keeps going.

My Poem “The Greatest Gift”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s amazing how fast
some people can adapt…
it’s incredible how quickly
some people can adjust…
it’s phenomenal how some people –
especially children –
can go from one day being
“the new kid on the block”
to taking a giant leap
into assimilating themselves
into a place, a time, a mindset,
and a completely different way of life…
some children are born with the infinite capacity
to learn at the speed of light –
and there are some adults who retain
the same gift of lightning-fast learning,
even as they grow older…
it always amazes me how some people
can live comfortably in different extreme environments –
from places where the temperature could not get any hotter,
to the places on this planet
where the temperature could not be any colder…
it is truly unbelievable how hazardous
some of the places on this planet
where people have been born,
where people have grown,
where people have lived,
where people have thrived,
where people have built a life,
where people have raised families,
where people have chosen to spend
all of their time until the day that they die,
because they feel as if they share
a connection with such a place…
it is in our collective human nature to endure,
to overcome our limitations, to explore,
to do things that no one has ever done before:
like diving to the depths of the deepest ocean,
climbing to the highest of peaks,
traversing the wildest and the most dangerous of deserts,
or exploring the unknown wonders of outer-space…
in space, there is no air and there is no way
for anybody outside of a space-suit to survive –
but that has not stopped a great many of us
from wishing that they were astronauts
so that we could discover new worlds
and new knowledge to enrich
the lives of all of humanity…
becoming accustomed to something,
to somewhere, to some new way of being –
like the selflessness, the patience,
and the compassion that you must
summon from within yourself
when you are the parent of a child –
in my opinion, is the greatest gift
that humanity has ever been given.

My Poem “Orb”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Orb of light, Orb of life,
Orb shining brightly in the sky…
Orb of wonder, Orb of power,
Orb that makes the world go round…
we dare not stare directly at you…
Orb of worship, Orb of beauty,
Orb of warmth –
even from far away
your dominance over all of us
will forever be unmatched…
Orb of blessings, Orb of day,
Orb of celestial fire,
we who live under your glare
are here because of you –
but we know that even you
will one day see the moment of your death
when the cauldron at your heart
has burned its last
and you will be reborn anew,
and consume this blue and green planet
that has never ceased to orbit you,
and you will take all that has ever been with you –
and the cycle of life will begin again
when a new light begins to shine
and light up the darkness like a match…
Orb of morning, Orb of afternoon, Orb of evening,
Orb of every colour of the rainbow
that colours our world in all its beautiful ways…
Orb of seasons, Orb of phases,
Orb of reasons, Orb of storms,
Orb that we are forever bound to,
who we are all grateful for
and who we respect and adore –
we, the human race, are a part of you,
just as you are a part of us,
and no matter if one day our ancestors
reach out into the great unknown of space
and make a new home for themselves
upon a planet circling a star
far away from here, in another part of the galaxy,
you can rest assured that within the soul
and the dreams of humanity
there will only be one light guiding our way:
and that light will be you –
our sun, our beacon, our sphere of illumination,
our perfect and indomitable Orb.

“Sunrise” by Seen. Featuring Mark Hastings

Mark Hastings music, Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello, everyone!

It is my great honour to announce that my poetry has evolved and has taken a step into a completely different medium. By that I mean to say that one of my poems – a poem that I wrote almost 9 years ago, my poem “I’ve never seen a sunrise” – at least my recording of which, has been incorporated into, and will soon be released, as a song called “Sunrise”.

“Sunrise” – which has a trance/house/chill-out kind of vibe to it – was created by the amazing Seen who has expertly mixed my poetry and my voice, with his uplifting and energizing style of music, to create a wonderfully uplifting song that – in my humble opinion – sounds amazing!

Like I said, my original poem and my recording of it is now nearly 9 years old; however,“Sunrise” by Seen featuring Me, in my opinion, gives my poem another life and another medium by which it can be shared and enjoyed.

“Sunrise” by Seen Featuring Mark Hastings will be released on “Summer Melodies Vol.2” – a compilation album of 9 songs ranging from deep house to progressive house/trance styles of music – by Summer Melody Records on February 8th, on Beatport, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, and on all other stores on February 22nd.

Here is a trailer highlighting some of the songs that will feature on “Summer Melodies Vol.2”, including a small sample of Seen and my song “Sunrise” at the 1:13 mark:

There will be a “Summer Melodies Vol.2” Album Release Party on Saturday, February 2nd, online @ https://plug.dj/trancehousechill – if you are interested in attending the album release.

And I would just like to say how honoured I am that Seen chose one of my poems to incorporate it into what I believe is a fantastic, amazing, and uplifting song that could be enjoyed by everybody – as I hope my poetry can always be enjoyed! 😊

-Mark

My Poem “The Road So Far”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s impossible to completely understand
a world until you start to explore it…
it’s impossible to completely know
a person until you meet them face to face…
it’s impossible to completely understand
why people do what they do
until you attempt to walk in their shoes…
some people are born into a way of life,
while some people choose a way of life
because they have heard a call…
some people fall when they try to rise,
while some people rise when they believe
they are going to fall…
some people discover more about other people
towards the end of a person’s life
and some people feel like their lives
are beginning again when they sit down
and they listen to the stories
told by a previous generation…
some things in life we choose,
while some things are decided for us…
there always comes a time in a person’s life
when they come to a crossroads –
when they look up, when they look down,
when they look left, when they look right,
when they look forwards, when they look back –
when they remember, when they consider,
when they count their blessings,
when they wish they had more time
with people who have passed on,
and such a crossroads always occurs
when it comes to the end of one season
and the beginning of another…
even as a person grows older
they always hold on to some things,
to some experiences, and to some people
longer than others, because there are some
mementos of life that instantly make people
jump back in time in their mind
like some kind of inter-dimensional time-traveler…
the older that a person gets
the more that they are reminded of how fast
time moves and how fleeting life is –
and that is why it is always important
to listen to the sound of the beat of your own heart,
because life truly is a journey – in so many ways –
and filled every day with things
that cannot be found anywhere else in the universe
and on any other planet orbiting any other star,
and that is why it is important to stop
every once in a while, while traveling the miles
of your life-long journey,
and reflect upon the road so far.

My Poem “Magpie”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ll admit it,
when it comes to writing poetry,
writing stories, making art,
creating light from the dark,
I – like many of my kind –
am a bit of a Magpie…
certain things – people, places,
smells, sounds, tastes, experiences –
that I see, hear, feel, and sense
enter my mind through my eyes,
through my ears, through my nose,
through my mouth, through my fingertips,
and make me slightly different
than I was before…
so many things that I see,
that I hear, that I feel,
shine for me and give me
the same reaction that I am sure
a Magpie experiences when they see
a glistening piece of metal from far away.

Magpies are highly intelligent
and they can live a relatively long life –
and it is because of their observed
and recorded intellectual capabilities,
their extraordinary memory,
and their innate nature, that has led
people over the ages to come to believe
that Magpies can sense and perceive
things before they happen,
as if their existence is connected
to a realm that can only be described
as being supernatural.

So many people think in the same way…
so many artistically minded people
regularly experience moments of inspiration
when they see, hear, or feel something
that opens their eyes wide
and compels them to make a reality
an idea that they cannot shake, nor deny…
so many people see things that other people
may also see, but could never convey…
so many people, like me, who express
what they see, what they hear, what they feel,
what they think, and what they believe,
ultimately choose to use what they have collected
within their mind until a time in the future
when they can let their creative side
fly like the black and white wings of a Magpie.