In this episode, I recite one of my Christmas themed poems. In this episode I read my poem “The Great Gift Giver” written in 2024.
gifts
The Storyteller: The Xmas Factor
“The Xmas Factor” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
Listen on Apple Podcasts and read a transcript.
The Storyteller: The Great Gift Giver
“The Great Gift Giver” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
Listen on Apple Podcasts and read a transcript.
My Poem “The Great Gift Giver”
I must admit, I have always been someone
who loves to give gifts…
whether it is someone’s birthday,
Valentine’s Day, or Christmas,
I pride myself on my ability to be able
to pick the right gift for the right person -
and I have had numerous comments
and compliments over the years
at how good I am at being able to imagine,
and eventually find,
the perfect present for someone in particular…
it isn’t always easy, and it’s not always simple -
but if I know someone, and I am already familiar
with their likes and dislikes,
then I know for a fact that I can come up with
something for them that they will like, love,
appreciate, and be something that will make use of,
perhaps cherish the memory of,
and always remember who gave it to them.
Of course, not all gifts that I have brought for some people
have been appreciated as much I hoped they would -
but that doesn’t matter to me,
because I can always say
with my hand on my heart
that I took great time, effort, and pleasure
in thinking about someone
and being drawn to buy something for them
that I knew they were meant to have,
for whatever reason…
I just have this eye for detail and this instinct
for what something represents,
and what it will mean to someone else -
but, even if someone does not initially seem
impressed by what I got them,
I always keep in mind that,
when it comes to buying presents for people,
it truly is the thought that you put into
purchasing or making something for someone
that is what really counts.
Time is the most precious thing in the world -
which is why what, and whom, you spend time with,
as well as what, and whom,
you spend your time thinking about,
should matter to each and every one of us -
and that is why we should all try not to waste
a second on someone who doesn’t appreciate
spending time with us,
nor what we do and have done for them…
I like other people’s birthdays more than my own
for the same reason I have always been a lover of Christmas,
because during the festive period
I get to show how much I appreciate people -
especially members of my family -
and present them with things from me
that I selected especially for them
because I knew what I bought would
resonate with them on a personal level…
I am sure other people spend more than me,
I am sure other people buy more lavish
and outlandish gifts for those whom they know -
but I challenge anyone to a contest
of making a connection with someone
and finding the best gift for them,
time and time again, and for every occasion,
because I know I would win every time.
Why? Because I have been told many times that,
among all my other talents,
I am, and I have always been,
a great gift giver.
My Poem “The Giving”
Giving gifts is a vital part of life... receiving gifts is something that no one should take for granted... giving gifts is something that always fills me with delight... receiving gifts is a gift, in and of itself - especially to those people who say that love and happiness is the thing that they have always wanted and all that anyone in life truly needs. Giving a gift should be easy - which, for the most part, it is; the hardest thing is always the selecting of what to buy, for whom, and why... receiving a gift should be second nature; however, for some people, for some reason, receiving gifts can make them feel uncomfortable, because they feel as if they cannot reciprocate the same value of gift that they have been given. A gift given and received can range from something as simple and yet meaningful as a ring, or a CD, to a car, or a plane-ticket to somewhere with a beach; but the important gift that anyone on Earth give is of course the gift of their time - which is gift that is free and one which that will last a lifetime. The act and the art of giving a gift should be painless; however, unfortunately, some people can be incredibly particular about what they want to be given, when, why, and how - and sometimes meeting someone's high-expectations can be a struggle; however, as people get older, the value of the gift that they are given, and what it is, is outweighed by the magic of gesture of someone doing something for someone else and being a part of someone's thoughts. A gift that is given is supposed to be a token of someone's affection, not a chore that someone felt forced to do... a gift received from someone special to you should be accepted and welcomed as a memento of a relationship worth remembering. A gift may not always be something that you can take with you - but whatever we choose to give, and whatever we are given, is a gift of the present, as well as a memory that can bridge the gulf of time; and, in my opinion, there is nothing on Earth that could ever compare to the gift of giving. Happy Thanksgiving!
My Poem “Revelation”
Life in the cities feels like
it is slowly restarting…
life on the streets feels like it is
in some way restoring…
the sunlight that falls upon
the windows of the tall buildings
reflects back upon everything
and everybody and makes the world
shimmer and glisten…
the beautiful weather beckons
to the young and the old –
and even in the slightest of sunbeams
there are sights and there sounds
to be found that could be thought of
as gifts of personal perfection.
There are moments of silence…
there are moments of laughter…
there are moments of stillness…
there are moments of drama…
there are moments of childhood…
there are moments of exploration…
there are moments of love…
there are moments of deep,
peaceful and necessary
meditation and contemplation.
Everybody’s life is slightly
different from one day to the next…
the weather of our planet
has been teaching us for centuries
that there will always be
some things in this world
that we will never be able to control
no matter how hard we try
or how much we are blessed…
everything is governed
by a clockwork cycle of universal
laws and proportions that are so
inherent to what makes life
what it is that it’s signature
can be seen time and again within
so many examples of nature…
the more that you believe
that there is no more to know,
that there are no other places to go,
and that life can no longer surprise you
is naturally when something or someone
will challenge that view
and deliver to you a revelation
that will make you question your past,
that will make you look at your present,
and influence the course of your future.
My Poem “Be Thrifty”
There are times of the year,
especially around Christmas time,
when you have got to think about
the likes, the needs, the wishes,
and the feelings of
more than one person simultaneously,
when you have to think about
what would be the perfect gift
to buy somebody in order to demonstrate
how much someone means to you,
when you have got to take advantage
of every given situation and offer
in order to be shrewd with what you
have to spend –
which is why so many people
flock out the door on days
like “Black Friday” and they go
from store to store in order
to find something that is being
advertised at being sold
at a fraction of the price
that they normally are.
The stores around Christmas time
are always full of people trying
to see, to pick up, and to purchase
what they have in mind,
what is on the list that they may have made,
or what they subliminally feel
compelled to buy in some way.
Christmas shopping is never easy –
in fact it gets harder to do every year;
however, I personally have always
enjoyed the process of putting
a great deal of thought
into who I am going to buy a gift for,
but sometimes I find new things
that I have not seen before
and when I do I have learned
the hard way that if you see something
that you have never seen before
which fits perfectly into
the mold in your mind
that pertains to someone that you know
you need to get it while you can
because their is always someone
right behind you who will
not hesitate to make the most
of the opportunity to walk away
with your original find and thought.
When Christmas shopping
you really do need to start early,
you need to take your time,
and you steadily need to
build up an instinct and a biography
about what a particular person
whom you know may have mentioned
in passing, subconsciously hoping
that someone would take note –
so my advice for anybody like me
who is currently in the process
of buying presents for family members,
less than a month before Christmas,
is to start now, to make a physical
or a mental lists before hand
that you can refer back to,
and of course to be quick,
to be thoughtful, to be calm,
and when possible to be thrifty.
My Poem “Never Stop Reaching”
Most dreamers, most writers,
most artists, like me,
often reach beyond what they know
in order to imagine, to see,
and to understand things
that they do not know,
have never experienced,
and have never seen –
sometimes you just have to,
sometimes you just have to
take a leap of imagination
into another world
equipped with as much knowledge
and first-hand accounts from people
who have been through
what you want to say
and let what you have heard
play out throughout your mind
and be interpreted with your own
internal voice and your artistic echo chamber,
and then share with your own
artistic license in the way
that a poet does…
no two people will have
the exact same thing to say about the same something –
unless they are experiencing a moment
of true and unfiltered synchronicity –
because, most of the time,
our memories and our experiences
have their own unique and predetermined
say on how we will personally
react to a given situation…
everybody finds their own truth
in their own time…
everybody finds their own gifts
in their own way…
everybody finds their own identity
in the mirror the more that they
find people who inspire them
and give them an answer to
what and why they are who they are
and how they should be living their life…
everybody finds their own discipline to practice,
their own doctrine to follow,
their own natural medicine to heal their own
unseen scars, the more that they
make strides down paths
that they do not know the end of…
everybody who is adventurous
is like a child – no matter how old they are –
because they know that sometimes
you have to reach the edge of something,
sometimes you have to leap
into the unknown without thinking,
and no matter what you are doing
you should never stop reaching.
My Poem “The Modern Mythology”
Every mythology has stories of heroes and villains…
every tale ever told that has survived through the ages
lives on because they have a moral truth at their heart…
every religion that has attracted followers to its teachings
has fundamental rules that are expected to be adhered to by,
and which are staples in the life of,
any person with faith in what their
religion’s holy texts tell them is essential…
every mythology is filled with individuals
with super-human abilities that allow them
to change the world around them…
every mythology has an origin story
that explains where the world
and everything in it came from…
every mythology has a creator as its figure-head
who is prayed to and worshiped so that they
might bless their believers
with miracles and gifts of good fortune…
every country has their own cultures
who have their own individual mythologies…
every era of history has intertwined with it
modern interpretations of old tales
that fit into the events playing out
all around the world that are documented
in so many modern ways…
even in this day and age,
there are stories being documented –
on T.V., in films, in newspapers, in literature –
in the posts that people share on social media –
of people endowed with power who don’t know
how to wield the influence at their fingertips,
as well as tales of heroism
and rebellion against oppression…
creators create mythologies every day –
in comic books, in novels, in urban legends,
in technology, on television, in art,
in architecture, in structures built
with a specific purpose that are meant
to be draw people to them so that they can admire them –
that slowly enter the lexicon of our society…
our world was built upon, and continues to thrive,
because of the stories that combine together
to make the tapestry of life
that is our modern mythology.
Mark The Poet 