A Poem A Day #428: Unbreakable Bond

“Unbreakable Bond” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘Poet of the Multiverse’ which was published in 2022 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
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My Poem “Mad Rush”

During the hours and the days
of November and December,
there is always this energy
in the air that can be felt
and which can intoxicate people in many ways,
and which can bring out the best in people -
love, charity, friendship, family -
and which can also, sometimes,
bring out the worst in people -
competitiveness, jealousy, inferiority -
and it is during the Christmas period
that people behave in ways they never would
at any other time of the year.

Christmas should be a happy time
when people think about one another -
however there are moments when some people
can become overly self-conscious
and they can believe that something
that they have must be "better"
than what everybody else has
in order for it to be considered "good"...
November to December should be when
family is more important and everybody is thankful
for who and what they have in their life...
the "holiday season" - as it is known -
is and should be when there are literal
and poetic examples of hopefulness
and light on show from morning till night.

Every year everybody around the world
participates in traditions and customs
that can only be practiced at a particular time,
for particular reasons, during which and because of
the meaning of different seasons -
and depending on what time of the year it is
some things are considered obligatory and a "must"...
every year everybody slowly but surely
changes their demeanor and sometimes
they can even change the way
that they think and react to certain things -
and there are times when ordinarily calm
and collected individuals can find themselves
switching to a version of their personality
who voluntarily runs, and sometimes even fights,
with those that are also in the midst of the "red mist"
of the annual "mad rush".

My Poem “Keeping the lights on”

This Christmas, at least here in the UK,
it is going to be hard to keep the lights on within some houses because of the
high price of electricity that some households
are going to be forced to have to pay...
this Christmas people young and old
are literally going to have to
sit in the dark with no heating on
and they are literally going to have to
wrap themselves in blankets to keep warm,
because they know that they will be
unable to afford the total owed
on their eventual electricity bill...
this Christmas, more so than ever before,
people are going to have to choose
between buying presents for loved ones
or putting some money aside
for when the energy companies say
that it is time to pay up...
this Christmas people are going to
sacrifice their health, because they will
be unable to have what they need
to get well when they ultimately fall ill...
this Christmas people will have to
make choices that will have long-term consequences...
this Christmas people will have to
think even more about what they are spending
and how much things cost...
this Christmas people will have to
make the most of what they have,
because this Christmas everything is going to be expensive...
this Christmas people will have to
be creative and imaginative in many ways
as they gather around their Christmas tree
and they struggle to keep the lights on.

My Poem “The Gift of You”

Christmas is a time,
Christmas is a season,
Christmas is like a tide
that slowly rises, overwhelms,
and then recedes in the wake
of a new year descending...
Christmas is different every year
for everyone who celebrates it.

Christmas can be a different experience
depending on how old someone is -
when we are young Christmas is
a series of magical moments,
including: meeting someone dressed
in a red suit with a white beard,
making a list of things that we want,
and receiving presents of all shapes and sizes;
but, as we get older, as life goes on,
and as we lose people who have
always been special to us,
Christmas can be a time of reflection,
sadness, regret, and longing for what was
and missing those who we have lost.

Christmas can be a wonderful crossroads
of feelings and emotions, of family,
of friends, of making the most
of what you have, of accepting what are you gifted,
and of capturing the spirit of celebration
that fills every street and the rooms
of every house all around the world...
Christmas is when love can be shown
and shared...
Christmas is when people have to think
about others and truly show that they care...
Christmas is about the build up
to December the 25th -
more so, perhaps, that the day itself...
Christmas is sometimes more about
following long established traditions -
whether they are religious in nature,
consumeristic, or of keeping alive
the memory of people who to us
will live on in our mind and in our heart
and whose photos will remain
long after we take down the festive
cards we have received from their shelves.

This Christmas, like every Christmas,
we all hope for the best
and wish to be blessed...
this Christmas, like every Christmas,
we all sometimes want
what we can't have...
this Christmas, like every Christmas,
people listen to Christmas songs,
people watch Christmas movies,
and people don Christmas themed attire
that they may have been waiting all year to wear every time they have got dressed...
every Christmas it is important
to make yourself happy,
as well as make other people happy,
because without thinking outloud
and without expressing yourself
then it wouldn't truly be Christmas -
so give yourself a present,
celebrate how you want,
and perhaps reach out a hand
to others and give them
the gift of you this Christmas.

A Poem A Day #67: The Gift of You *Christmas Episode*

“The Gift of You” is a poem that was written by Mark Hastings especially for Christmas Day 2021. You can read the original poem on Mark’s website http://MarkThePoet.Me. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, to one and all! 🎄 🥳

My Poem “The Christmas Spirit”

As so often happens,
I was sitting at my usual table
in Starbucks when a song
that I had never heard
by one of my favourite artists -
the one and the only "Man in Black",
Johnny Cash - started to play...
the song was "I Heard the Bells
On Christmas Day" -
and as soon as I heard
this Christmas carol
in its own right that blessed all
who heard it "peace on Earth"
and "goodwill to men",
I started to think about
the true meaning of the season
and why music has always
been an important way
for families and individuals to say
what they want to say to one another.

Music is just as fundamental to some
as living is to breathing for others...
the voice of a singer can break down
barriers and unite people
from many countries, with many accents,
with many back stories -
who can all find times to set aside
their differences whenever they
come together and stop and listen
to someone with a message
they felt within their heart
as well as within their mind
that someone else needed to hear.

Christmas songs are only played
at this time of the year,
and every year new songs
are written and recorded by artists
that dream of being number one
and perhaps remembered
as fondly as those that repeatedly
return to our ears year after year;
however, I would say there are only
a handful of Christmas songs that are
enjoyed, replayed, and loved by many:
John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over),
"Last Christmas" by Wham!,
"White Christmas" as sung by Bing Crosby,
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid,
"Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues, and, of course,
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey -
because these songs have over time
become quintessential in capturing the Christmas spirit
like no others are able to,
and personally all these songs always
put a smile on my face every time I hear them
and make me more and more ready for Christmas
and overflowing with Christmas cheer. 

A Poem A Day #59: What I’ve always wanted

“What I’ve always wanted” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘Poet of the Sphere’ which was published in 2012 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings

My Poem “First Christmas”

I don't remember my first Christmas;
but then again, who does?
However, I will always remember
the first Christmases of others -
and Christmas this year
will always be special to me,
because this year will be the first Christmas
of the boy who smiles at me
every time I smile at him:
my new nephew, Milo.

I envy my nephew,
because every day he gets
to experience things
for the first time in his life -
and very soon he will
get to meet Father Christmas,
he will get to receive his
first Christmas presents,
and he will be able to go out
into the snow with his parents
and help them build a snowman.

This year will be the first time
in a long time that our family
has welcomed a new addition -
and what better time is there
for all of us to gather together
and around the embodiment
of our family's love and affection
who is in our eyes nothing short
of being an angel who we love
nothing more than to see
happy and smiling from ear to ear.

This year has been a roller-coaster
for many people around the world;
but, for my family, my nephew
Milo has been the miracle
that I always knew he would be to us
from the moment that he was born -
and even though I know that he
probably wont remember
any of this time when he is older,
I hope that he will always
think back and know that 
he was always loved
and that if our family had
anything to say about it
then Milo's first Christmas
would be a time in all of our lives
that we would never forget.