This episode is a part of Mark’s “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Light and Dark’, from his poetry collection The Storyteller, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.
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The Storyteller: Light and Dark
“Light and Dark” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
My Poem “Light and Dark”
There will always be things
that happen in life
that will forever be
out of our control...
there will always be things
that happen in the universe
that will happen whether
we observe them or not...
there will always be things
that happen to people
at a particular time,
in a particular place,
that will bind them to one another...
there will always be things
that happen that will have
a profound effect on people
in different ways.
At the time of an eclipse -
when people gather together
to watch the moon align perfectly
in between the Earth and the Sun
and obscure its light for a short time -
people young and old
can be brought to tears,
the usually talkative can be silenced,
and those who wonder
whether we are alone in the universe
look up and are given a sign,
as the Moon casts its shadow upon the Earth,
and there is always a palpable mixture
of thoughts, feelings, and emotions
that rise to the surface
of the collective consciousness
of individuals who may have
been looking forward
to what is taking place
for a long time -
because witnessing an eclipse
is, and has always been,
considered special, sacred, and momentous -
because it is an occurrence of significance
that is both predictable, and yet rare.
After light returns
to a world that has been
veiled in darkness,
there is always a universal wave
of energy and excitement
that washes over people...
when the details and the colours
of the world can once again
be seen as clearly and as vibrantly,
as they are meant to be,
people can feel a sensation
of renewal, of reinvigoration,
and as if they want to make plans
and achieve new goals...
after an eclipse, people always
look at everyone around them
and appreciate them more
than before for some reason -
most likely because they realize
what the presence of certain people
in their lives means to them,
and because they experienced
what it is like to not see others
at the same time that they felt
they were still right besides them.
After experiencing a shared moment
that has a profound impact
on the way that people
perceived one another
and their connection to the universe,
when people return to their daily lives
a fragment of what was witnessed
always remains within someone
and occasionally makes them wonder
what lasting impression
they may have been left
upon those whom they have met -
perhaps akin to the importance
of the sun being eclipsed by the moon,
and those who were there to observe it
who were instantly awestruck
as they watched day become night
and light become dark.
The Pathfinder: The Dark Side of The Muse
A Poem A Day #627: A Light in the Dark
My Poem “The Switch”
When I first began writing poetry it was like a light had been switch on... when I first began writing poetry it was at the same time that I fell in love... when I first began writing poetry it was like walking outdoors and feeling the touch of the sun... when I first began writing poetry it was like I already knew that I was a poet for life and not just for the moment. Some things you think you know for sure and forever - but then they change... some people you think you know as well as you know your own face - but then they take a hard left down an unexpected alley... some things look perfect with the right lighting - but their flaws become apparent when seen in the light of day... some people look idealistic from far away - but up-close everybody's cracks are exposed like the shadows of monuments in a valley. I didn't know what was inside of me until I found the right person with the right key to unlock the door of my library of internal poetry... I didn't know what would happen after I started walking down this road that I have been on now for years - but I knew that would never be truly alone and that there would always be something and someone with me... I didn't know what it meant to have been found until I felt my eyes, my mind, my heart, my ears, my soul open wide and never want to miss a thing about anything and everything ever again... I didn't know what lay beyond the horizon, in outer space, or in the dark, until I saw that there is always a way and a gift for me to turn to and to turn on whenever I want to like a switch.
My Poem “Equinox”
Life feels like we have truly arrived
at a moment between light and dark…
life feels like we are transitioning
between two states of being…
after all that has happened this year,
after we have all sacrificed
and after how far we have all come,
life feels as if it is in a state of resistance –
because humanity feels like it is
stuck in a game of tug of war with itself
and with a nemesis they cannot see clearly.
Life in some shapes and places is continuing
regardless of everything else –
as they always have done –
while some individuals fear that
they have reached a point of no return
and everything that happens next
with be irrevocable, and the pain
that will be felt will cut deep.
Life on planet Earth has been shook
profoundly by what has occurred this year…
life will never again be the same as it was…
life is subjective and based upon
the personal perspective of an individual
at a specific here and a specific now.
Life has been though dark times before;
however, after every era of profound change,
nature teaches all things that they need
to find a way to adapt to the circumstances
and the surroundings that they find
themselves in and to do their best
to find a balance that they may have lost –
and there is no better time to be
a shining example of phenomenal
strength and fortitude than right now,
at this moment of equinox.
My Poem “The Dark Horse”
In the breeze of the early morning air,
I walked to a place where I knew
something majestic would be
waiting for me there –
and as I got closer to them
I could almost feel the power of their stare,
and before I knew it I was looking
into the dark eyes of a horse
the colour of midnight Black,
who seemed to recognise me,
as I recognised them
as if they were a ghost from my past.
As I stood and stared at the physical
embodiment of “Black Beauty”,
from Anna Sewell’s novel,
a feeling of peace overcame me
and I felt an instant sense of calm –
as if I were a child, as if the horse
before me looked at me
as if I were a young foal.
To some people horses are approached
cautiously because their behaviour
can sometimes be temperamental;
however, to me a horse is one of
the most beautiful and intelligent
animals on Earth who has a heart
and a soul that is as complex
as they are magical.
From Stallions to Thoroughbreds,
from Arabians to Shires –
horses have a way about them
that is uniquely individual to them,
and in many ways horses are like people
because they feel, they think, they dream,
and they love to show and to be shown
affection;
and horses, like most complicated
creatures who people share a connection with,
also have a phenomenonal memory
and they may not actually require
being whipped while racing on a racecourse –
and that is one of the reasons why
I never feel any trepidation,
and why I did not feel nervous at all,
when I caught my first glimpse
of the statuesque presence of
the dark horse.
My Poem “This is the way”
There are times when
some people can believe
that all hope has been lost…
there are times when
people cannot see beyond
the shroud of darkness
that obscures the constant stars…
there are times when people
walk through a forest of trees
and they cannot see a path
to the outside and back to the light…
there are times when
people have to dig deep and feel
for the source of the force
that shines like a beacon within them
and which seeks to cut through
the chaos of a moment
like a sabre of peace
that can be formidable if needed
to be used during a fight for survival.
There are times from dawn to dusk,
as the Sun walks the sky
and guides the lives
of billions of people
who are all seeking to play their part
in keeping the phantom menaces
that occasionally plague the world at bay –
however staying a course,
standing up against an adversary
who seeks to impose their will
over the innocent of society,
speaking out for those
who do not have a voice,
and saving the life of people
who you might not know
is the least that anyone can do,
and in the mission of those
who seek peace, harmony
and reconciliation with all things,
while walking with their head held high
and while basking in the light
of the living, is how it is possible
to be a force for good
in the world in some way.
Mark The Poet 