My Poem “Magic”

I have always been a fast writer…
I have always been a slow reader…
I have always been a fast typer…
I have always been a slow listener…
I have always been able to see, to hear,
to feel the sound and the rhythm of words
and be spellbound by their ability
to make sense of the world,
while being aware and fascinated
by the fact that each word
has their own story to tell of their origin…
I have always been curious about
how a word can come to mean
so much to so many -
even now, I am wondering:
What was the first word?
Who invented the first word?
When, where, and why
was the first word uttered?
What did the first word mean?
And, after it was first used,
was the first word used repeatedly
and to the extent that it was understood
and considered to be something
that someone generations in the future
would be wondering about?

I wonder - that is what I do…
I wander - that is also something that I do…
I watch, I wait, I weave silent tapestries
of poetry within my mind,
as the world races by…
I welcome the opportunity to be inspired
by whatever angel wishes to sit upon my shoulder
and whisper into my ears -
because I know how intense
and powerful an idea can be,
and I know what can be achieved
and where you can go
if you decide to make a move that you know
will influence the rest of your life.

In my time, I have met wizards…
in my life, I have met witches…
in my memories, I see things
that even now I am still trying to believe…
in my dreams is where and when
I face my fears, and every day I feel compelled
to bring people together
and to be a guide for others to follow -
just as the Messenger God, Hermes,
once instructed me to be one night
in a vision that I still remember so vividly…
in my heart I have always hoped for the best,
and I have always wanted the world to be
whatever those who work hard want it to be -
but my faith in some heroes and some role-models
renowned for their gift to touch humanity
with their artistic abilities
has on occasion been proven to have been misplaced,
and I have had to reexamine, reevaluate,
and revise my opinion on those
who have been exposed as devilish individuals…
I have always been known to be one who -
even when seemingly surrounded by uncertainty -
chooses to find a way out of wherever I find myself,
and I always start by choosing to never panic;
because I know that I always have a secret weapon
that will always keep me from
falling into a void of no return,
and there is no other word for what I know to be possible,
nor another way to describe what lies within me
and a select group of artistic individuals,
other than the ephemeral and overwhelming
sound and sensation that we have all felt
when we have witnessed something
that could only be captured, in a word,
to be nothing other than “magic”.

My Poem “Regeneration”

Who knew that someone could
change so much throughout their life?
Who knew that someone could
go through so much and over time
find the energy that they need
to make it to the other side?
Who knew that there would be no mystery
greater than we are to ourselves?
Who knew that there could be no
question to be answered as illusive
as the one personified in
who we see every day in the mirror,
who never ceases to show us
that we all have layers and depths
that are just waiting to show themselves.

Everything within us, everything around us,
everyone we have known, everyone we will ever meet,
changes and reinvents itself,
over and over again –
at the same time that everything and everyone
follows a pattern of behaviour,
as well as a biological necessity,
to maintain something and someone’s
intended purpose in life…
everything within everyone
began in one state and then over time
adapted to their surroundings and their environment
and became a more diverse and varied
assembly of complexity
and meant to connect to the world
in ways that generation after generation
has had varying periods of awareness of and attention to –
because in times gone by humanity’s
connection with the world and each other
seemed to be more refined,
because our relationship with the natural world
used to be considered just as important to growth
and rejuvenation as starlight.

Every atom of everything and everyone –
from me to you, from every tree to every star –
can all trace their shared lineage
to a momentous event that happened
billions of years ago;
but had the conditions at the beginning of time and space
been ever so slightly different than they were
then everything and everyone
would have turned out differently –
and in other universes and realities
the consequences of what might have been
play out in a myriad of ways,
and the thought that change and choice has been,
and always will, be a factor in determining where
one set of variables will lead to
has always filled me with fascination…
every time each of us think that we
know ourselves and each other
to the nth degree and nothing about us,
nor anyone else, could ever surprise us again,
something, or someone, always reminds us to
never stop questioning our own existence
and the reason why each of us are alive
and able to do what we can do –
because every form of life in this universe,
or any universe, has repeatedly shown
that the longer you live the greater the chance
there is that you will repeatedly go through
a period of self-reflection and self-awareness
that will lead to profound instances
of change and regeneration.

My Poem “The Power of Karma”

There was a time when I used to
worry about the future…
there was a time when I used to
worry about being alone…
there was a time when I used to
worry about being who and what
others wanted me to be…
there was a time when I used to
worry about those people who,
in retrospect, took me for granted
as well as tried to take me for a fool -
but, as times have changed,
as I have lived and I have learned,
I realise now that I am better off
without all those people who only wanted me
because they needed something, or someone,
for a short time, before they cast me aside
for something and someone “better” -
and to those people who left me
and to those whom I have left behind,
I say: thank you, as well as good riddance…
there was a time when I used to
worry that I wasn’t like everybody else I knew -
but now I know and I understand that
I am now who I was always meant to be,
and I never used to fit into
the puzzle of the other people I knew
because I am in a league of my own
and the architect of my own destiny…
there was a time when rising above
and touching the sky was just a dream that I had
and a wish that I wanted to one day achieve,
but now I have touched infinity so many times
and I know that the sky that we see is just the illusion
that we need to make us want to leap beyond
and into the unknown so that we can
begin to grasp our true potential
and our constant connection to something
that wants us to believe in ourselves
and what we can accomplish…
there was a time when I used to
worry that people would continue to
use my good nature against me -
but over the years I have become
more aware of my own self-worth
and I know that no matter what anyone
or anything tries to do to me
I will never give up, I will always fight back,
I will never forget, and I will always remember
the face of everyone I have ever met
and wish unto those who believe that they got away
with hurting me and not being held to account,
one day there will be a time when they will think of me
and regret what they did -
as well as realise that I was one of the best things
that ever happened to them -
while I will continue to believe in
and witness the power of karma.

Podcast Episode: After The Return… What’s Next?

In this episode, Mark talks about his book series The Wolf in Me, The Wolf in You, The Wolf in Us, and his new book The Return of The Wolf – which all centre around the main protagonist of his books, Olivia Hunter – and Mark also talks about what books he plans to publish next.

My Poem “The Write Relationship”

Being a writer is like being in a relationship -
because when a writer writes they always
find themselves creating a connection
with whatever, whomever, and wherever
they are writing about…
being a writer is like feeling as if
you want to open yourself up
to being introduced to and influenced
by people and by things that will
give you the gift of inspiration and insight
into something within you that may have been
waiting for years to be freed and shared with the world…
being a writer is like having a license
and a vehicle to express yourself in such a way
that you can use the language within you
to bring together a confluence
of the fuel of your imagination
and the natural environment of the world around you
and get to experience the immense energy
that is generated, but which is often too
intense and uncontrollable to try and contain…
being a writer is like standing in the dark
and then witnessing an explosion of light
as the sun rises over the horizon
and blesses the world with
colour, detail, beauty depth, and a perspective
that the twilight hours can only dream of
being able to show -
however at night is when a writer can feel
at their most vulnerable and their closest
to discovering the answers to
their own questions of life, the universe, people,
and why things happen the way that they do…
being a writer is like learning how to do something
that you already know how to do
but every time you do it
it feels like the first time,
and by continuing to put in the time
to expose yourself to new opportunities,
new challenges, new ideas, new ways of thinking,
as well as all the ways that have continued
to be practiced and performed to perfection
over and over again, because they feel
natural and intrinsic to the way things
are supposed to be done…
being a writer like looking in the mirror
at your own reflection -
but as well as seeing yourself
you also see and hear things, people, words,
and worlds that feel as if they need to be
seen and heard, because they feel like they are
important and meant to be
manifested in some way…
being a writer is a journey that does not end
but along the way, when you are a writer,
you might find yourself stranded -
as if you are in a boat without paddle
rushing down a river and heading towards
the drop of a waterfall;
and if you are a writer, and you think
that you have lost your sense of direction
as well as your ability to direct your course
to where you want to get to,
the key is to allow yourself to go with the flow
and dive head-first over whatever precipice
and into whatever unknown you may find yourself
upon the edge of and fly, like only you can -
because being a writer is a privilege,
because it is a blessing to be a creator, a conduit,
and a messenger of the wonderment
that can come from having a relationship
that feels effortless, meaningful, and right.

The Return of The Wolf – Chapter Eleven: Return to where it all began

Return to where it all began”, Chapter Eleven of the audiobook version of The Return of The Wolf by Mark Hastings, which is now available to purchase from Amazon in hardback and as an ebook.

Check out the podcast merch store and get yourself some The Return of The Wolf merchandise from Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/The-Return-of-The-Wolf-by-MarkThePoet/169315455.IJ6L0

The Return of The Wolf – Chapter Ten: The Return of The Vampire King

The Return of The Vampire King”, Chapter Ten of the audiobook version of The Return of The Wolf by Mark Hastings, which is now available to purchase from Amazon in hardback and as an ebook.

Check out the podcast merch store and get yourself some The Return of The Wolf merchandise from Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/The-Return-of-The-Wolf-by-MarkThePoet/169315455.IJ6L0

The Return of The Wolf – Chapter Nine: Return to the House of Vampires

Return to the House of Vampires”, Chapter Nine of the audiobook version of The Return of The Wolf by Mark Hastings, which is now available to purchase from Amazon in hardback and as an ebook.

Check out the podcast merch store and get yourself some The Return of The Wolf merchandise from Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/The-Return-of-The-Wolf-by-MarkThePoet/169315455.IJ6L0

The Return of The Wolf – Chapter Eight: The Return of The Son

The Return of The Son”, Chapter Eight of the audiobook version of The Return of The Wolf by Mark Hastings, which is now available to purchase from Amazon in hardback and as an ebook.

Check out the podcast merch store and get yourself some The Return of The Wolf merchandise from Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/The-Return-of-The-Wolf-by-MarkThePoet/169315455.IJ6L0

The Return of The Wolf – Chapter Seven: The Return of Valkyrie

The Return of Valkyrie”, Chapter Seven of the audiobook version of The Return of The Wolf by Mark Hastings, which is now available to purchase from Amazon in hardback and as an ebook.

Check out the podcast merch store and get yourself some The Return of The Wolf merchandise from Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/The-Return-of-The-Wolf-by-MarkThePoet/169315455.IJ6L0