inspiration

My Poem “Magpie”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ll admit it,
when it comes to writing poetry,
writing stories, making art,
creating light from the dark,
I – like many of my kind –
am a bit of a Magpie…
certain things – people, places,
smells, sounds, tastes, experiences –
that I see, hear, feel, and sense
enter my mind through my eyes,
through my ears, through my nose,
through my mouth, through my fingertips,
and make me slightly different
than I was before…
so many things that I see,
that I hear, that I feel,
shine for me and give me
the same reaction that I am sure
a Magpie experiences when they see
a glistening piece of metal from far away.

Magpies are highly intelligent
and they can live a relatively long life –
and it is because of their observed
and recorded intellectual capabilities,
their extraordinary memory,
and their innate nature, that has led
people over the ages to come to believe
that Magpies can sense and perceive
things before they happen,
as if their existence is connected
to a realm that can only be described
as being supernatural.

So many people think in the same way…
so many artistically minded people
regularly experience moments of inspiration
when they see, hear, or feel something
that opens their eyes wide
and compels them to make a reality
an idea that they cannot shake, nor deny…
so many people see things that other people
may also see, but could never convey…
so many people, like me, who express
what they see, what they hear, what they feel,
what they think, and what they believe,
ultimately choose to use what they have collected
within their mind until a time in the future
when they can let their creative side
fly like the black and white wings of a Magpie.

My Poem “I’m Your Angel”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 “Bowie and Me”

Mark Hastings me, Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,

Every day of the week
I head down to Dudley Street
to meet, to greet, and to speak
with the one and the only
David Bowie,
and every time I see him
he talks to me and
he communicates so much to me
without even having to say a word
how lucky we all are to be alive
and walking the streets and the paths
of this world –
and every time I see him
I get this instant flash
of inspiration,
like a bolt of lightning,
that I try to imbue
into the art that I create
which always follows
my divine-like encounter with “Bowie”
who waits tirelessly for me
against a wall of blue
on Dudley Street like a gate-keeper
and a guide to a world of
wonder, imagination, and self-discovery.


“Bowie” by Annatomix – Dudley Street, Birmingham, United Kingdom

My Poem “Waypoint”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,

Once a year
we all find ourselves here –
here, at the end of one year
and at the beginning of another –
where and when a transition occurs
within the blink of an eye,
as colorful explosions light up the sky
all around the world,
as people celebrate the start
of a new time in their lives…
the sun rises, the sun sets –
just as it has done countless times before –
however, just as the year changes
so does the world ever so slightly…
the stars still sparkle the same
at night as they’ve always done –
however, far away in the vastness of space,
past, present, and future intersect,
and new doors open between two sides…
music plays constantly throughout the cosmos
that when heard by those able to hear it
inspires poetry, art, scientific discovery,
wonder, and dreams that will paint
the landscape of what is to come
with echoes of colour of what came before…
there is no limit to where anyone can go
when they discover what is possible…
there is no end to what knowledge
can be attained when you open your mind
to a new world you never even knew existed…
there is a truth to be found
about the nature of the universe
by looking at the delicate petals
and inhaling the breathtaking perfume of a rose…
there is no knowing what awaits any of us
when we decide upon the path we choose to take
when we reach a waypoint in our life-long journey
when we find ourselves at a crossroads.

My Poem “Deus ex Poetica”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wishes and prayers come from hope…
inspiration rises when a feeling is set free…
memories and emotions are like ghosts…
poetry comes from God, and God comes from poetry.

Nobody has ever asked God why they created the universe –
but nobody should ever ask an artist
why they create the art that they make,
because, most of the time, an artist
is only following their instincts
and trying to capture a feeling, an experience,
or an emotion that they want to share.

An artist can spend years living in darkness –
and then, light, life, an idea,
an entire universe can instantly come into being
and start a chain-reaction that expands without end
before their eyes, and build a reality
of its own, layer by layer.

There is always someone listening…
there is always someone watching…
there is always someone thinking,
dreaming, and imagining something new…
there is always someone waiting…
there is always someone anticipating…
there is always someone creating
magic from out of the blue.

Everything is what it is for a reason…
everybody is who they are because who they are
is who they are meant to be…
everyone who is anyone has at least once in their life
opened their heart, closed their eyes,
dug down deep within themselves, touched their own soul,
and returned to the world with something about themselves
that they never knew they possessed.

When an artist first becomes an artist,
what they feel, what they see,
and what they know drives their emotions
and their imagination, can sometimes be scary –
however, the more that an artist creates,
the more that they want to create…
artists are constantly driving to inspire
a feeling in someone else because of the echo
of a feeling of that which inspired them –
comedians receive such a feverish reaction
to their art when they inspire
an audience of people into laughter.

God has always been
the greatest artist anyone has ever known…
since the beginning – when they created
the heavens and the Earth –
every day God’s greatest creation – Life –
continues to evolve and be reinterpreted
over and over again, and it will continue to be –
because Life will always be the greatest masterpiece
ever envisioned or created, just as it has been
since the beginning of time
when God created poetry.

My Poem “Goes to my head”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The more that someone allows
the spirit of something to capture them,
the more that they embody
the properties of that spirit…
the more that someone becomes engulfed
in the wave of energy and emotion
that rises at a particular time of the year,
the more that they want to share
the joy that they feel with whomever they are with…
the more that someone succumbs to traditions
that mean something profound to them,
the more that they want to repeat
those same rituals time and time again…
the more that someone thinks about
how someone or something makes them feel,
the more that they do not ever
want to be away from the object of their affections –
and even the thought of being far away
can be enough to bring them to tears…
the more that someone strives to reach
a state of complete and utter happiness,
the more that someone will discover more
about what keeps their heart beating
and the thought of who and what
they love the most ticking…
the more that someone does something,
the more that someone can become addicted
to the way that special something
never stops making them feel –
sometimes something can fill a person
with such a glow that their heart and soul
can be seen shining like the tail of a firefly…
there are so many things that instantly
overcome me and make me forget
the last thing that I said:
inspiration, sunshine, music,
the beautiful face of my fiancé,
the knowledge of something new –
however, there is only one thing
that immediately gives me a rush of blood,
at the speed of light, that goes straight to my head,
and that thing is the feeling of love.

My Poem “Y.O.L.O.”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In this life
you can’t stand still –
because if you stand still too long
then you might find yourself
falling through life,
as if you were once standing upon
a sheet of ice but have fallen
into a freezing-cold lake…
in this life if you want to experience
the world to its fullest
then you have to venture to places
where you have never been before…
in this life if you want something
then you must reach out as far as you can,
as if you were below a dark ocean
and searching for a life-preserver of light…
in this life each and every one of us
are given an opportunity to shine
like a star in our own way –
whether it is as an artist,
as a teacher, as a parent,
or as an inspiration for the next generation…
in this life doors open wide
and we are asked to take a chance on fate,
and we have to seize every once in a lifetime
opportunity before it is too late…
in this life time is too short
to regret fulfilling experiences
that took you on a journey in some way…
in this life you have to take care
and treat every step that you take
as if it were a part of a dance…
in this life you have got to take leaps of faith,
leaps of belief, leaps of hope, leaps of happiness –
because, in this life, you only live once.

My Poem “Evolution”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , ,

Walking out the door into a misty morning…
instantly feeling the biting cold of the wind…
watching the sun rise, illuminate the sky,
and colour it from blue to gold…
listening and hearing the song of the early birds
as they awaken, fly, and forage among
the leaves still on the trees
that are in the process of changing, falling,
and returning to the ground from whence they came…
living day after day –
bound by instinct, grounded by gravity –
every thing and everybody instantly knows
what to do and when to do it without having to be told.

Seasonal cycles exist for a reason – as does everything…
evolution is not a myth – change is a necessity…
putting one front in front of the other,
venturing out, above, or below,
is the only way to experience the world
with every one of your senses…
what is artificial soon loses its appeal,
whereas what is natural never gets old…
what is temporary can be bound within a nutshell –
but that which will last can never be confined forever,
no matter how tall the walls or the fences
that surround them are.

I always welcome the wonder of new inspiration…
I always welcome using my gifts
to adapt to something that has changed…
I always welcome the sun shining,
the heat rising, the wind blowing,
the leaves falling, the Earth spinning,
the seasons changing,
so that I can witness with my own eyes
the world around me evolving.

Bring on the inspiration…

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , ,

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I hope everyone has a great day and an inspiring week to come! Poetry is everywhere at this time of the year. Inspiration is out there! Let the sunlight into your soul and allow it to rejuvenate and revitalize your gift so that you may share your heart through your art. 😊 -Mark

My Poem “October”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , ,

Everything changes depending on the season,
but there is no season like Autumn
when the changes that are happening
all around and at every second of every day
can be witnessed, experienced, and felt –
like that moment of wonder that you feel
when you fall under the ethereal spell
of nature in all its glory…
leaves change colour…
animals and people make plans
and prepare for Winter…
the clouds in the sky come together…
raindrops fall and bring alive
the aroma of petrichor to fill the air
and invigorate our sense of smell…
pumpkins are being harvested
and carved in time for Halloween…
those who adore and are inspired
by the infinite gifts of beauty
of the great outdoors go out for long walks…
those who are not afraid of the dark
sit around campfires toasting smores,
they tell ghost stories, and they sit down
in front of their screens to watch scary movies –
and their are some people at this time of the year
who indulge themselves in simply
looking out of the window, as one by one
the leaves of the trees begin to fall.

Time goes backwards…
people look forwards…
rainy days return…
the fire within hearts and minds burns…
life breathes in and breathes out…
light feels more precious than it ever does
at any other time of the year,
because the days feel short.

This time is thunderous… this time is wondrous…
this time is stupendous… this time is rapturous…
this time is joyous – so if you can, wherever you are,
between the hours of dawn and sunset,
and between the time of moonshine
when creatures from another world walk the Earth,
open your eyes, unlock all of your senses,
don’t be afraid, and wholeheartedly allow yourself
to be intoxicated and overwhelmed
by the feast to life and nature
that unveils itself during the month of October.