If looked down upon from space our planet, Earth, would be seen to be a shining blue sphere teaming with possibilities and full of potential; however, you would never be able to see everything and everyone that exists on our beautiful world from orbit because you would be too removed - but if you were able to listen to what humanity broadcasts, transmits, and has shared every moment of every day, for over half a century now, then you might find it hard to understand everything that everyone is saying to one another; however, if you were to travel farther from Earth - say fifty light-years away - then you would be able to receive the transmissions of humanity that left our planet fifty years ago, and it would be like discovering a message in a bottle, or an audio signal of an era in time, that travelled at the speed of light from its source to be heard by anyone or anything that was listening in Earth’s direction.
Earth has always been a world full of stories, of civilisations, of beliefs, and our ideas about why things are the way that they are, and Earth has always been a world of invention and of dreamers who hope to be given the answer to the question of whether we are alone in the universe… for all of human existence, groups of individuals - such as scientists, artists, musicians, and believers in a particular religion - have sought to reach out their grasp and touch the face of the unknown, and reveal the truth about the meaning of life and why we are here; and since we have had the means and the resources to send living beings into space to relay back what awaits us far beyond the clouds - from dogs, to chimpanzees, to humans - as well as robotic sojourners capable of sending back images of the planets and the moons of our solar system, as well as photographs of the extraordinary phenomenon of our galaxy, humanity has been uncovering the history of the universe as well as the possibilities of reality.
In 1977, two gold disks were launched along with their respective Voyager spacecraft containing a greeting from the people of Earth, as well as images and depictions of human anatomy and the building blocks of life, the location of the sun and our solar system, and also recordings of some of the sounds that can be found and heard on our planet - such as the sound of waves crashing, birdsong, whale song, and a selection of some of the human languages that our species has evolved to use for communication between one another for centuries… even now, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 - not to mention all the other probes we have sent out into space - continue their mission and their journey into the great unknown, hopefully to be one day found by another, similar, space-faring, intelligent, innovative, and inquisitive race of beings who might wish to see whom it was that chose to take a leap of faith and send an invitation to a fellow member of the galactic community to visit a beautiful planet that is full of people, plants, animals, and other things that need to be seen and heard to be truly believed and understood; however, it’s entirely possible that we have already been visited by an intelligent interplanetary extraterrestrial species of explorers, who were drawn to our world a long time ago and who have already bore witness to the wonders of our planet, and who have long since become obsessed with the infinite number of the sounds of Earth.
I remember January 10th, 2016, like it was yesterday… I remember what I was doing and where I was on the day when I heard that David Bowie had died… and I remember what I did next: I wrote a poem. I wrote a poem for David Bowie called “Always The Starman”, because I wanted to pay tribute to him, to who he was, and to what he and his music meant to so many people from all around the world. Then, not long after, I was inspired to write a short story that was not about David Bowie per se but his spirit definitely influenced it, my story “The Man in Black”; and following on from my short story I would go on to write six more short stories once again influenced by the spirit of David Bowie, which I would go on to collect together and have published in my short story collection “Playing God”. The original 2018 paperback version of “Playing God” had this image of David Bowie on the cover which I drew against a starry backdrop, and the 2024 hardback version featured a cover which was inspired by a sketch of David Bowie which was already within my book – but I gave it a fresh twist of colour and detail. Anyway, suffice to say, if it weren’t for David Bowie then I don’t know who I would be right now, because David Bowie has inspired me and he has influenced me for years in one way or another. I am so grateful for the spirit and the music of David Bowie which has visited me and inspired me so many times over the years, and I know that I am not the only one who feels that way. Rest in peace, David Bowie. Thank you, Starman. ⭐ 🖤
This episode is a part of Mark’s “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and an author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Tales of Wonder Lands’, from his poetry collection The Dreamer and The Dream, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.
My Poem “The Wolf Moon” which I wrote in 2020 – which was published in my poetry collection ‘The Rambler’, originally published in paperback in 2020 and republished in hardback in 2024.
In this episode, Mark talks about his upcoming book ‘The Shadow of The Wolf’ – the fifth book in his The Wolf and The Vampire book series, which focuses on the mother, daughter, wife, werewolf Olivia Hunter – which is due to be published February 2, 2026.
What’s it about?
Two Wolves Collide.
Sister and brother, Olivia Hunter and Mark Mayweather – separated from one another all their lives – are once again drawn together; however, their reunion does not unfold as they hoped it would, and as a result they find themselves on opposite sides of a life and death struggle that will expose who they are, what they are, and what kind of a werewolf they both are.
And witness the reunification and the reckoning of the relationship of Olivia Hunter and Vega – The Vampire King. Will their love survive the battle being fought beneath The Shadow of The Wolf?
I am thrilled to finally announce that my new book, ‘The Shadow of The Wolf’ – the fifth book in my “The Wolf and The Vampire” book series, which focuses on the mother, daughter, wife, werewolf, Olivia Hunter – will be published February 2, 2026!
What’s it about?
Two Wolves Collide.
Sister and brother, Olivia Hunter and Mark Mayweather – separated from one another all their lives – are once again drawn together; however, their reunion does not unfold as they hoped it would, and as a result they find themselves on opposite sides of a life and death struggle that will expose who they are, what they are, and what kind of a werewolf they both are.
And witness the reunification and the reckoning of the relationship of Olivia Hunter and Vega – The Vampire King. Will their love survive the battle being fought beneath The Shadow of The Wolf?
I was once a poet of a single poem… I was once a dreamer of a dream… I was once a rambler of fields of gold… I was once a boy who loved, who laughed, and who saw the world with an eternally optimistic eye… I was once a believer in everything that I saw, everything that I heard, and in everyone whom I met; however, over time, I was struck by multiple instances of unpredictability that changed the course of my life forever… I can still remember who I was and where I was when so many of the things that happened to me left their mark upon me… I can can still remember writing that first verse, that first step, that first gift of adoration and love which was the spark of inspiration that I needed to start the fire of creativity within me that has only grown in size, heat, and ferocity, as I have allowed myself to evolve as a writer and as an author into whatever, whomever, wherever I believe I have always been destined to be… unlike some, I have never been afraid of words; in fact, words are powerful and sacred to me in ways that are sometimes hard to describe - because words matter to me, because words energise me, because words feel so natural to me, and whenever I write a collection of words, especially poetry, I feel like I am writing something that only I could write and something that I do not require anyone but me to understand… a sphere, a sound, a multiverse, a path, a story - throughout each of my eras and experiences as a poet and a writer, I have witnessed change happen around me, as well as change happen within me, that has sometimes been challenging to face, to overcome, and to experience; however, I know that I have no choice but to continue doing what I know I have to do: to keep going, to keep dreaming, to keep writing, to keep being fascinated by things and by people, to keep my eyes, my ears, and my mind open - because there are times when everyone has to admit that things are different from what and how they expected them to be, and which is why it is always helpful in certain situations to take a moment to look, to listen, to consider, and then count to ten before making a decision about what to do, where to go, and about who they want to be in the next phase of their future.
This episode is a part of Mark’s “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and an author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Our Song’, from his poetry collection The Eternal Boy, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.
So often in my life I have been somewhere, with someone, as well as alone, when I have immediately understood that I was witnessing something that to me looked and felt extraordinary in some way, shape, or form - however, it was not until I became a poet that I knew I had the skill set to be able to put into words and paint a picture with language exactly what something in particular, or someone in particular, meant to me at a particular moment in time… as time has gone by, some of the words that I once used to describe something, or someone, that seemed instantly amazing to me have faded from memory - like a photograph that has been exposed to sunlight for too long - and I have had to contend with the fact that nothing remains as they used to be forever, because nature has a way of teaching all of us that everything and everyone has a purpose, a meaning, and a reason for why they should be treated as if it they are something unrepeatable, unique, and a treasure like that of a rare find… my heart has never ceased to want to allow itself to live and breathe alongside those of other likeminded souls, but time and time again my heart has been broken and has had to repair itself because the intentions of others were able to override my own expectations and instincts and lead me almost over a cliff… my gift and my connection to the universal muse has been able to give me visions and dreams of places, and my interpretation of the sound of the orchestra of the cosmos has allowed me to understand my place in the grand scheme of things when it comes to the reason why I am here - and I must have had close to a million moments in my time when I have seen something, heard something, felt something, and automatically picked up the means to be able to carry out my destiny: my innate ability to be able to be witness to something and know immediately in what way I am going to capture it.
Year after year, century after century, we the people of the world gather together with our family members and with our friends to celebrate that which we share and that which ties us to one another… year after year, especially at the festive time of the year, we the people of Earth look to the faces of whom we have known for so long for clarity about who and what matters the most to us… year after year, at Christmas time, we the people of humanity – no matter where in the world we hail from – find ourselves in places and alongside others who want what everybody wants: to be able to live our lives how, where, and in what fashion we wish – and the freedom to be who we want to be is the enduring hope of all of us who know how precious our time on this planet is… year after year, things change faster than ever before and in ways that we could never have imagined, and each of us have no choice but to ride the tides of the sea of uncertainty as best we can – because to not do so is akin to giving up, but we as a species have never been the giving up type, because we as a worldwide society have always been a gifting collective of individuals who want every generation, and especially the children of the next generation, to not have to be overshadowed by the actions and the ideals of those of previous times who sought to keep the nations of the world divided… year after year, we the people of the world who only want dialogue and understanding between all sides of the diverse spectrum of cultures and countries that exist around the world – though still remain who and what we are – wish nothing more than each and every one of us to not forget what draws us all to one another on a subconscious level of shared awareness and responsibility to protect and preserve who and what made us who and what we are… year after year, Christmas after Christmas, the world shows just how much of life is a constant cycle of repeating patterns that inevitably always lead to the same result; unless and until we are blessed with a revelation and a reminder that we can stop certain things from reoccurring – such as hate, violence, war, and greed – but only if we stop and realize that we must sometimes relegate some things about us that have previously been fundamental to us in the past, because they have been holding us back; that is why, year after year, no matter what I have witnessed around the world and no matter who we have all lost along the way, I am grateful for the people who have given me so much throughout my life, and I remain resolute in my hope that we can stay true to our core human values of decency, respect, honesty, integrity, and family that will hopefully continue to show any who wish to know who and what we truly are to be a world and a people who are willing to be beacons of light when we are needed and who exist in a state best described as being islands of happiness and peace.
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