I care about people... I care about places... I care about things that matter to me... I care about the people who care about me... I care about the places that I have visited that will always have a connection to me... I care about the things that will always interest me, anchor me, thrill me, and inspire me... I have welcomed many people into my circle of friends and I have trusted some people as if they were family - but, occasionally, unfortunately, I have had my trust taken for granted... I have found myself in places of extreme beauty that I loved every moment I was there - but, because I shared my time with others who have over time seemingly put me on mute, whenever I return to some places I see and I hear echoes of the past that, because I am who I am, have not faded from my memory... I have had things of mine taken away from me - things that I have had to adapt to living without; however because everything of importance, at one time or another, always leaves an indelible impression on me the touch of something, of somewhere, or of someone lingers on and can never be banished from the limitless world within of my big heart.
Heart
A Poem A Day #346: Heart of a Poet
A Poem A Day #328: Heart to Heart
My Poem “The Spirit of a Poet”
Right from the start
it was the words of The Bard
that started the spark
that grew into the light in the dark
that is the poetry of my heart
and the gift that I use
to leave my mark…
I will bow before the master of language
that is William Shakespeare
for as long as I live and breathe –
and whenever I write a verse of poetry
I will always remember where I was
when I first read the Sonnets of The Bard
and the spirit of a poet was born within me.
Rest In Peace, William Shakespeare
My Poem “My Hero”
Family has always meant
everything to my Dad
and my Dad will always mean
everything to our family…
my Dad is the heart of our family,
the one that we take
all of our strength, our love,
and our inspiration from,
and he means more to all of us
than could ever be expressed…
my Dad has often had to suffer
the scars of all the battles
that he has found himself drawn into –
both physical and emotional;
however, my Dad has never given up,
my Dad has always put
everyone else’s thoughts, feelings,
and needs before his own,
and my Dad has always been there
for his children when they
needed him the most…
my Dad is such a phenomenal
role-model, a beacon hope,
and his natural blue eyes
and his magnetic smile
is always reason enough
to smile in return and believe
that even the darkest of days
can be turned around with a ray
of sunshine in the form
of someone selfless and special…
the gift that is my Dad
is the one that I have been blessed
to have in my life all my life,
and I would not be anything
without the super-human man
who will forever be an inspiration
to me in so many ways:
the one who first taught me
the meaning of working hard
for whatever it is that you desire,
and the one who daily shows me
that nothing is ever impossible,
because my Dad –
David William George Hastings –
is and always will be my hero.
My Poem “The Heart of A Family”
There are some things in this life
that cannot be predicted…
there are moments in our lives
that we never want to see repeated…
there are some things and some people
that we all sometimes take for granted…
there are truly terror-inducing,
fear-filled, horrifying and shocking
things that happen to fathers,
to brothers, to sisters, to mothers –
to members of a family –
that have the power of a lightning-bolt,
the gravity of a star, and the explosive
impact of a bomb being detonated
to bring people to their knees.
When terror and tragedy strike
time is always of the essence…
when there is the fear that
someone could lose their life
every action of every second is precious…
when someone’s heart stops beating
the split-second instincts
of a stranger could mean everything…
when a chaotic event takes place
the present and the future
of a person’s life can depend upon
so many disaparate pieces of a puzzle
coming together, to work together,
to give something to someone else:
to restart a person’s heart,
to breathe life back into the lungs of someone, in my opinion,
is nothing short of a miracle,
because giving the gift of life,
so that someone may carry on
living and breathing once again,
is truly incredible and phenomenal in every way.
So many things run through a person’s mind
when they hear that something
out of their control has happened
to someone that they love…
so many different scenarios
are considered and so many
things are thrown into the air
in order to find out who or what
was to blame for what happened,
and for what mostly could not have been foreseen;
however, ultimately, the truth about every one of us is that
no one is untouchable,
everybody is vulnerable –
and when the life of somebody
who is important to a group of people
is threatened in some way
it becomes greatly apparent
whom it is who stands, sustains,
and is the driving force
at the heart of a family.
Dedicated to my Dad
My Poem “I’m Your Angel”
For years now
I have been telling you
that you are my Angel,
my world, my heaven on Earth –
and now I realize that I have always been
the one meant for you:
your savior, your hero, your lover,
your soul-mate, your Angel…
I knew from the moment that I saw you
that I was drawn to you, attracted to you,
and instantly in love with you –
but now I know for certain
that you are the reason
that I am here on Earth,
and every day of my life
I want to dedicate to giving you
everything and anything
that you could think of
and making you as happy as you make me…
You are my miracle, my gift,
my inspiration, my one and only desire…
You make smile, you make my heart beat wildly,
you make every day worth living,
you make me happy –
and when you need someone I promise you
that you will always have me, and I promise
that I will always love everything about you,
because, to me, every inch of you is beautiful…
You will always be the answer
to every one of my wishes and prayers,
and I always wanted to be your
one and only Angel.
My Poem “You will always be my starlight”
Stay with me… never leave…
you are my dream… can’t you see,
I have loved you since I looked at you
and since that moment you looked at me –
and now, every day I am lucky to be
able to see your beautiful face
and call you my fiance,
the one who loves me,
my love, my heart, my soul, my life…
you are more amazing than you could ever know…
I will always be yours – even when we’re old.
I could never live without you in my life –
if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be able to walk,
if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be able to talk,
if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be able to think,
if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be able to sleep.
I’ve told you many times how much I love your eyes…
I’ve told you many times how much I love your hair –
no matter the colour, no matter the length…
I’ve told you many times how much
I love your perfect smile…
I’ve told you many times how much
I love everything about you –
from your freckles to your toes –
and I will always love you on the inside and on the outside,
every moment of my life, every hour of the day and the night,
and my only wish is that we stay together, forever –
because, just as I am your sunshine,
you will always be my starlight.
My Poem “Take Me Back”
While bathed in the golden light of evening,
at the end of this hot summer’s day,
I find myself looking West to the horizon,
and wishing that I could turn back the clock
to a time in my life and to a place
that I remember and I revisit every day…
a time and a place, a love,
the face that I could never live without
of someone important to me,
who I love from head to toe,
who completes me, and who I miss
the touch of more than I could ever say,
who melts my mind and inflames my heart,
who is as perfect in every way
as seeing a field of sunflowers swaying in the breeze
and glowing from their yellow leaves…
I love my blond-haired, blue-eyed, angel
more than she could ever know –
and I cannot wait for the day
when I can wrap my arms around her again,
look into her eyes, and tell her that I am hers forever
and that she will always mean everything to me…
take me back… take me back a year…
take me back to Georgia…
take me back to my favourite wooden porch
with its American flag displayed proudly from it…
dear lord, take me back to my idea of heaven on Earth…
take me back… take me back to Melissa.
My Poem “The Reason”
I want to dance with you again…
I want to hold you close…
I want to touch the face
that I see every moment in my dreams
and kiss the lips that feel as amazing
as raindrops falling upon sunburnt skin…
I want to look into your eyes
and marvel at how they sparkle like stars…
I want to love you with all my heart…
I want to make you happy…
I want you to never have to worry…
I want to walk with you in the sunshine…
I want to stand atop a mountain
and shout up to the heavens that
I am the luckiest man in the entire world
because you are mine…
I never want to lose you…
I would do anything for you…
I would give anything to always be with you…
I wish I could walk on water or fly through the air,
because if I could then I would journey
however many miles I have to travel
so that I can be there with you again
and never have to leave…
I love you with all my heart and all my soul,
my beautiful Angel – and to me you will always be
the reason I live and breathe.
Mark The Poet 