When we are young
we invariably tend to try
many different things -
usually all at once -
until we are observed to be
gravitating to something in particular
more often than the other things
that have repeatedly occupied our attention -
whether that is a person,
a song, a story, a film,
or perhaps a character in TV show that,
for whatever reason, keeps us
coming back for more...
as we get older, we are found
to be engaged in an activity
that we had done over and over again -
because whatever we find enjoyment in doing
gives us the gift of something
we cannot get from anywhere else,
nor from anyone else...
while growing up, we are all
constantly being influenced
by those around us to participate
in something that other people
also like to do -
but, most of the time,
what we really want to do
is to be able to choose
the pursuit and the path
that to us is unparalleled by anything
that anybody else might recommend...
when we discover that
we have the freedom to be,
to do, and to go wherever we want,
we always choose the first thing
that comes to our mind -
but, sometimes, the conviction
necessary
to transform us into who we want to be
and to take us where we want to be
needs to be inspired by something
or someone else
that acts like a spark that ultimately
leads to a raging fire...
when we eventually find out
who and what we want to be
sometimes we can believe
that perhaps time has run out
and the opportunity to do
what we have always wanted to do
has long since passed,
because we let other things
get in the way of our dreams -
but the truth is that there really is
no time like the present
to make a life-long wish come true,
because no matter when
you start something new
you instantly discover
that the most important things in life
are those that come naturally.
feelings
My Poem “Not Doing Christmas”
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year,
Christmas can feel magical to children
and to people of all ages,
Christmas is about family and connection
and it is about sharing love and friendship;
however, for a lot of people,
more so now than ever,
Christmas is a time that they dread,
Christmas can feel too much,
Christmas is a time that reminds
some people what and who they have lost.
Christmas decorations are lovely,
sending Christmas cards is sweet,
Christmas parties and gatherings are great,
and it is always good to let your hair down
and socialise with those whom you work with,
or perhaps those whom you may only see once a year;
but there are so many lonely people
who feel at their lowest during the festive period,
because they feel as if they have
forever lost the spirit that they once
had within them to be able to
enjoy the traditions
that have gone hand in hand
with Christmas and the New Year -
so much so that they wince
at the words "happy" and "merry"
that are used when someone
utters a Christmas wish.
Some people will have no choice
but to spend their time away from
those whom they love
because coming together is feat that,
for multiple reasons, is particularly difficult...
for some people, Christmas
just does not feel the same as it used to
when times were better
and when there was more to look forward to.
Some children will make a list
or write a letter to Father Christmas
and hope that they get what they asked for;
however, every year, so many parents
know that there is no way
that they will be able to give
their children what they want,
but they will always endeavour
to give their children what they can,
and more than anything
love, happiness, and protection
is all that they really need.
For some people, Christmas is
when they can be themselves -
but, for some, Christmas can be
when people look into the faces
of family members and wish
that they could bring them back full to health.
On Christmas day, multiple families
will open presents in the morning
and then in the afternoon
they will gather around a table
and enjoy a Christmas feast;
however, there will be those people
who on Christmas day will
not have one Christmas present to open
and will consider Christmas day
just like any other day.
There is always a reason for everything -
and while some people will make
the most of every second of
"The most wonderful time of the year",
some people will not will watch
the festive period pass without a fuss
because, for personal reasons,
they choose to not do Christmas.
A Poem A Day #578: Feel
My Poem “Burst”
Just like a solar storm on the surface of the sun, just like the fiery curls that the sun releases and sends out into space, just like the auroras created when the energy of the sun touches the atmosphere of our planet - everyone and everything capable of complex thoughts, feelings, and emotions often feels as if they have something within them that they struggle to contain, that they struggle to hold back, that they struggle not to express - because we are all filled with a spirit that burns like a flame, that boils like hot water, that sometimes explodes like a jet from a geyser; because everyone and everything needs at outlet to get out what has found its way within: whether that is artistically, physically, audibly, or a combination of many things all at once - because if someone or something has no means of controlled release then they might remark that they will figuratively, or perhaps literally, BURST!
A Poem A Day #362: The Feeling
My Poem “Under your skin”
When someone or something gets under your skin it can sometimes be hard to rid yourself of them... when someone or something changes something fundamental about you it can sometimes be hard to wipe them clean from your mind... when you lose someone or something that gave you the gift of something amazing when you first met them it can be hard to try and erase them from your life... when someone or something influences you like a drug it can be hard to detoxify... when someone or something fills your heart with love it can be hard to deny what to you feels so true it could not be a lie... when someone or something leaves their mark upon you it can be even more indelible than a tattoo and too deep to ever be seen... when someone or something makes you feel better about yourself than you have felt in your entire life then you know that though they may no longer be around physically who and what they meant to you will always remain with you under your skin.
A Poem A Day #162: At Sunset
My Poem “Let it out”
It always feels good to reconnect... it always feels good to go back to somewhere you haven't been in a while... it is always good to see people who you have always felt a connection with... it always feels good to do something you haven't done for a while, but from the moment that you start doing something again, or from the moment that you see someone again, it feels like no time has passed - because almost immediately your muscle memory starts to kick in and deeply ingrained instincts begin to rise to the surface of your mind palpably fast. It always feels good to pick up and read a book that you haven't read since you were a child and instantly notice certain details about certain characters that you might have previously missed - and, because of the intervening time, it is as if the way that you once imagined people to appear in your minds eye has changed and evolved just as we all change throughout the many chapter of our life... it always feels good to hear a song that will always define an important moment in your life that ever time you hear it has the power to be able to transport you back in time to when and to where you felt affected by it for the first time. It always feels good to start a new adventure that you immediately know will be filled with experiences that will shape you, will mould you, and ultimately caste you in such a fundamental way that going forwards nothing will ever be the same... it always feels good to open your mind... it always feels good to let your thoughts and your ideas speak for themselves... it always feels good to find others like us so that we do not feel like we are alone... it always feels good to not have to worry and to feel free to let whatever is inside of us all out.
My Poem “Music/Food”
Just like the ingredients
that all combine to make
a meal look, smell, and taste
the way that it is supposed to,
a piece of music or a song
is also a multi-layered mixture
of individual components
that all harmonize to become
something greater that the sum of their parts –
as they are played by those players
capable of synchronising the gift within them
with the instruments that they have at their disposal…
the art of making a melody of music
that has a distinctive voice of its own,
that is immediately recognisable,
even after the first morsel
of ear candy has been heard,
is exactly like the signature of a dish
prepared by someone for
breakfast, lunch, or dinner –
because food, like music,
leaves an indelible imprint on all of us
that is always profoundly memorable.
Both food and music are both a key
as well as a gateway to memories
and experiences that may have become
compartmentalised by us over time –
but there is no denying how both
a song, and perhaps something
that you may not have tasted for years,
can have the instant power
to turn the gears of our minds
back to a particular place and a time…
food is sustenance for the body,
music is sustenance for the mind –
and when combined together,
while dining within a restaurant
or in a cafe, there is no estimating
the flood of endorphins that can rise
within our thoughts which can drive our emotions
in ways akin to a tsunami of waves
that have the ability to resurface
moments of merriment so meaningful to us
that they can make lost artifacts
of our consciousness once again easy to find.
Both eating food and listening to music,
to some people, can be like having
a spiritual experience that feeds
and rejuvenates something within them
that goes beyond the physical and the biological…
consuming certain legal stimulants,
such as chocolate or caffeine,
that have the ability to influence
the speed that our heart beats
and the way that we feel,
can affect us in the same way that music
can make us all involuntarily
raise our arms, close our eyes,
move our feet and dance around a room –
especially if the song that we hear
is one of our favourite tunes
that always has the effect of making us move
as if we are being compelled by a spirit
that we never want to be free of
that always takes us all to a place that feels
out of this world and utterly phenomenonal.
My Poem “That which matters most”
Out of sight does not always mean out of mind…
sometimes it can be those people
who we do not get to see all the time,
because they live so far away,
who can be everything that we think about
and dream about every minute of every day…
sometimes it can be the people
who we do not talk to for days, weeks, months,
or even years who regularly to show up
in our thoughts like a reflection in a mirror –
and even though things may no longer
be as they were the history of everybody
is filled with moments when we all
learn what comes naturally
and what in life we sometimes need to earn.
It is so easy to lose things in life…
it is so easy to lose people in life…
it is so easy to lose perspective –
which is why sometimes we all need
to fight to understand what went wrong
as well as what went right…
it is so easy for us all to lose time –
which is why we all need to make
every second count and make every word
that we speak last like the legacy
of a light that we may only see
when the sky is as dark as night.
Things can sometimes be hard to handle…
situations can at times be hard to deal with…
feelings and emotions can often
be hard to carry around with you
while you are still attempting to act
as if everything is fine –
because the light that you live by
can at times feel as temporary
as that of the flame of a candle.
Life is my favourite thing about the universe,
because as someone once said:
“where there is life there is hope” –
and while I live and breathe I will always believe
that having the gift to wake up
and gaze at the beauty of the world
and wonder about who and what
makes it work, and why,
is what gives every day its meaning –
because the truth is that meaning
is what gives everything and everyone
that which matters most.
Mark The Poet 