The sun has been a source of light, heat,
inspiration, fear, and adoration for many people
and civilisations over the centuries…
the sun has been, and continues to be,
a source of hope, as well as a source of dread,
for people young and old alike -
depending on when they are exposed
to its extreme power and influence…
the sun has been leaving its mark upon the world
since our planet coalesced into the rock of possibilities
that we now live on and are inextricably bound to…
the sun has been giving us gifts of life,
as well as teaching us all lessons
not to take anything for granted,
nor to be too dependent upon anything
too much for too long.
The sun has been shining like a beacon
for visitors of its solar system since its creation…
the sun has been spinning through
the arms of the stars of the galaxy since the dawn of the universe
and it has its own life cycle and periods of time
when it is more active than others…
the sun has been sending out its energy and its gravity
far and wide in sometimes noticeable
and unseen ways and waves like that of a dark ocean…
the sun has been deciding the fate of the life upon
the planets and the moons that encircle it
and those forms of life that still remain -
both “advanced” and vocal,
as well as those still hidden and silent -
and it will continue to do so for time yet,
until it comes to the end of its life
and it sends out an almighty shockwave
that will violently change the face
of everything and everyone forever after.
The sun is an important source of reinvigoration,
relaxation, and reproduction for plants and animals
and it is essential for how life on our planet
knows when, how, and why to do things…
the sun has been rising at dawn and setting at dusk
repeatedly from the perspective of many individuals
and every time it is seen from the ground,
or while orbiting in space,
everything and everyone always has this sense
and this feeling of awe and connection -
as if the sun is constantly speaking
to something within us all that beats in time with it…
the sun has been seen in many ways
and it’s has many layers to it that speak to its depth
its complexity, its context, and its place
at the centre of the wider world of our existence…
nothing and no one is anything without the sun,
and for as long as life has existed the sun
has been giving blessings and lessons
to those who bask in its eternal light -
especially those who spend as much time as they can
in worship of the celestial “sun god”.
God
Playing God – republished
Get your copy of the new hardback version of my book ‘Playing God’!
‘Playing God’ is a book of “Seven stories. Seven perspectives. Seven experiences. Seven morality tales of one immortal Rebel, Hero, Friend, Fan, Father, Son, Playing God” – which was originally published in 2018.
This new hardback version of ‘Playing God’ features a new front-cover artwork, depicting the main protagonist and character of each of the seven stories – the enigmatic “Man in Black”, and sometimes “Man in White”.
The stories of ‘Playing God’, and the character of the powerful and mysterious “Man in Black” and his interactions with those he meets, are some of the most compelling and inspiring tales I have written, and I often think about them and what they personally mean to me.
And I also have to mention that ‘Playing God’, its stories, and the character of the “Man in Black”, is dedicated to, and was inspired by, the late, great, David Bowie.
You can get your copy of the new hardcover version of ‘Playing God’ from Amazon now!
-Mark
‘VEGA – The Vampire King’ by Mark Hastings – Chapter Eleven: “Pandemonium”
‘Playing God’ by Mark Hastings (2018) – audio book: The Man in Black – “The Black Cat”
A Poem A Day #605: Deus Poetica
My Poem “God”
"What if God were walking these streets right now?" Said one friend to the other. "Maybe they are. They could be anyone - a man, a woman, even a dog?" Replied the other friend, as they both walked from one side of the city to the other. "Well someone did ask a similar question in a song once: What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us? Just a stranger on a bus trying to make his way home?" Said the friend, as they recalled the lyrics to the 1995 song 'One of Us' by Joan Osborne - which the other friend replied by saying they had never heard of. But what if you did walk passed God? And what if God walked passed you? Would they look how you imagine them to? Would they look like the picture that has been painted of them? If God stopped you and talked to you would you heed their message - or would you just walk on by? God could be anybody. God could turn up when you least expect them. God could be a man dressed in black; God could a man dressed in white; God could be a woman in red walking fast; God could be a child who when they smile is able to brighten even the cloudiest of days or the darkest of nights. If there is an almighty then there is no way any of us can ever be truly lost - because everything happens for a reason, because everybody meets other people for a reason, and if there were a way to describe why things happen and when then why not call them "God"?
Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare! ✒📝📖📚
‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.’ - William Shakespeare (As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7)
Rest In Peace, David Bowie (a tribute)
On January 10, 2016, I wrote a poem called “Always the Starman” dedicated to the late great David Bowie who died on that very day in 2016 – and I can still remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard of his untimely passing, and I can still remember being immediately inspired to mark the memory of one of the most famous and celebrated music artists of the 20th Century – and two days later I published the poem that I wrote on my blog for all the world to read so that they may get a sense of just how inspirational David Bowie was and still is.
Not long after David Bowie’s death, I remember that I was writing a new short story called “The Man In Black” about this mysterious character – who I didn’t truly know the identity of, nor why they were so mysterious… all I knew at that point was that whoever they were they dressed all in black, they had mysterious and powerful gifts that enabled them to appear one minute and disappear the next, they could bring animals and perhaps people back to life, and they may or may not be some kind of angel or some other supernatural being. And something else that I knew immediately was that whoever this mysterious “man in black” was he also bore an uncanny resemblance to the late great David Bowie, as some sort of tribute to him. But that was it. I originally intended to include my short story “The Man in Black” in my 2016 short story collection “Too Close To The Sun”, however for some reason I held it back… and to this day I still do not know why, what, or who stopped me from doing so – but I am so glad that they did, because from that first story there followed others that featured the same “Man in Black” who at times was known to white also depending upon when you met him. And slowly but surely I wrote more and more, until I finally found myself with seven short stories that explored who the “Man in Black/Man in White” was and why he did what he did. And to this day the stories of my short story collection “Playing God” still remain close to my heart, because within them are characters who I know and who I recognise: characters in need of being saved by a hero, a friend, a rebel, an angel, a god dressed all in black, and sometimes dressed all in white – someone who we would all wish would pay us a visit and heal the world of the present from what we are currently being plagued by.
I wrote my original poem “Always the Starman” and “The Man in Black”, the first story of my book “Playing God”, as a personal tribute to David Bowie – but the more stories that I wrote about this mysterious man who looked and sounded just like David Bowie, I also found myself uncovering many different sources of inspiration – from ancient Greek mythology to the daily torments that some people have to deal with – and I also found myself learning more about why I love writing so much: that thrill of exploration and discovery that I find every time I embark upon a writing challenge that I know will take me to places that I never imagined I would ever venture to. And that is what it is so enthralling and exciting about being a writer and an author of fiction: you never know where it is going to take you.
I will always be eternally grateful to the late great David Bowie for his music, for his creativity, and for the gift of inspiration that he gave to me – which coalesced over time into becoming a book of stories written in tribute to him, but also a tribute to hope, optimism and the gift of life that we are all blessed with which we all sometimes take for granted.
Rest in peace, David Bowie
8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016
My Poem “The Helix Nebula”
Whenever I look at an image
of the beautiful Helix nebula –
an image captured of an region of space
within the constellation of Aquarius,
almost 695 light years from Earth –
I, like many others, not only see
a beautiful planetary nebula
that looks almost similar in appearance
to both the “Cat’s Eye Nebula” or the “Ring Nebula” –
but I also see what looks like some kind
of celestial eye looking back at me,
because the more that you look
at the Helix nebula the more that
you see an image like that of
the iris of an eye,
and which is most likely why
the Helix nebula’s colourful and vibrant
blue, green, gold, and red appearance
when seen through the filters
of the visual spectrum
is often referred to as the “Eye of God”:
because once you see it you never forget it.
My Poem “The God Frequency”
When we want to make something
a reality we often think about
something more, we often talk
about something more,
and we often look for and see
signs that indicate that the time is right
for what we want to manifest before us,
like a stream of sunlight from above,
and there are times when we all
receive messages on a specific frequency –
the same one that the universe vibrates on –
that our brain interprets in many ways,
which is this celestial music
that has influenced and inspired
many artists and many musicians
to allow their gifts to shine
upon the medium before them
in order for them to capture the energy
within them that often harmonizes
and resonates with the source of
all life that brought about
all the forces in existence.
Our minds are multi-dimensional…
when we dream we are able to
dive deep and explore the world within us
that lies below the surface of
the ocean of reality and consciousness…
the sound of someone’s voice
can be sometimes be enough to
open up a door, a window,
a pathway within our minds –
especially the mind of a child –
just enough for people to feel
compelled to feel comfortable
allowing themselves to drift away…
the sounds of nature – whether the sound
of waves crashing again a shore,
the sound of the wind blowing
through the branches of trees,
or perhaps to sound of raindrops
falling upon a window pane –
can effect people so fundamentally
and can generate great fountains of
strength and inner calmness.
There are some instruments
whose voice speaks lounder
and penetrates deeper into a person’s soul
than others which also has the ability
to bless insight upon whomever is their
player and whomever is their audience…
nothing is ever truly lost because
everything comes back around
again eventually…
planets, stars, people, subatomic particles,
thoughts, hopes, fears, dreams
have their own sounds that
reverberate around them,
and everything and everybody
interacts with each other
like the rippling waves upon a sea –
and this connection that connects
every living thing to one another
is a divine network and broadcast
that is often referred to as
“The God Frequency”.
Mark The Poet 