My Poem “Universal Translation”

We all go through life
looking for connections...
we all venture far and wide
searching for similarities...
we all journey to places
hoping to make some happy memories
and to have some fun...
we all trek, voyage,
and ultimately discover,
the deeper that we dive
into the relationships
that define the human adventure,
that the frontier of understanding
is one that is infinite.

I always find it amazing and fascinating
when I meet someone who speaks
one of the same languages that I do -
especially when there is also
a meeting of minds that
instantly and naturally occurs...
I always feel fulfilled
after talking with someone
who I might have just met
who immediately recognises that
we have something in common
by the recognition of something that I am wearing,
because the near effortlessness
of our communication reminds me
that we are all meant to find people
who we can give back to and can give us
the best of each others worlds.

I have always been hopeful
and optimistic about the future, the world, the universe,
the possibilities of everything and everyone...
I have always formed bonds with
fellow enthusiasts of the same things,
the same places, the same areas of interest,
the same sources of escapism and enjoyment...
I have always known
that the only way to find commonalities is to use
the means at your disposal
to look beyond what is going on
around you
and follow the steps
to where people like me
wait to be found and reminded
that they are not alone...
I have always believed that
what and whom we choose to engage with
influences us in ways that cannot be quantified,
but the more that we meet and talk
with others who just want to
make the most of what fills them with passion
we find that we share a dialogue
that will forever be a gift
of universal translation.

A Poem A Day #628: The Comeback Kid

“The Comeback Kid” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Comeback Kid’ which was published in 2023 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet ● Check out the merch store on Redbubble: https://rdbl.co/3xWa4Rw

A Poem A Day #627: A Light in the Dark

“A Light in the Dark” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Comeback Kid’ which was published in 2023 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet ● Check out the merch store on Redbubble: https://rdbl.co/3xWa4Rw

A Poem A Day #626: Why?

“Why?” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Comeback Kid’ which was published in 2023 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet ● Check out the merch store on Redbubble: https://rdbl.co/3xWa4Rw

A Poem A Day #625: The Runners and Riders

“The Runners and Riders” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Comeback Kid’ which was published in 2023 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet ● Check out the merch store on Redbubble: https://rdbl.co/3xWa4Rw

A Poem A Day #624: The Best of Us

“The Best of Us” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Comeback Kid’ which was published in 2023 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet ● Check out the merch store on Redbubble: https://rdbl.co/3xWa4Rw

‘Playing God’ by Mark Hastings (2018) – audio book: The Man in Black – “The Gods Are Angry”

In this episode, Mark continues to recite the introductory story of his 2018 short-story collection, Playing God: ‘The Man in Black’ – “The Gods Are Angry”. ‘Playing God’ is a collection of “Seven stories… Seven perspectives… Seven experiences… about One Man in Black, one Man in White… Seven morality tales of one immortal Rebel, Hero, Friend, Fan, Father, Son, Playing, God”. You can read Mark’s poetry on his website http://MarkThePoet.Me, and you can purchase all of Mark’s books of poetry, short-story anthologies, and novellas on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HjAJMC

A Poem A Day #623: The Evening Sky

“The Evening Sky” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Comeback Kid’ which was published in 2023 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet ● Check out the merch store on Redbubble: https://rdbl.co/3xWa4Rw

A Poem A Day #622: Back to the Theatre

“Back to the Theatre” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Comeback Kid’ which was published in 2023 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet ● Check out the merch store on Redbubble: https://rdbl.co/3xWa4Rw

A Poem A Day #621: Zen

“Zen” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Comeback Kid’ which was published in 2023 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet ● Check out the merch store on Redbubble: https://rdbl.co/3xWa4Rw