No matter what anyone says,
no matter how something appears,
how someone presents themselves
matters more than people might want to admit…
even when we are young,
we all have a certain image within our mind
of how we see ourselves
and how we may want others to see us…
some people dress in a certain way
because they want to emulate the appearance
and the fashion of someone whom they might revere and idolise…
we all have our favourite clothes
that, when we wear them, give us
a feeling of comfort, confidence,
and some people take a great deal of time
and pride in selecting what they are going to wear…
some people equate a particular outfit
to a suit of armour that a medieval knight
might have worn to protect themselves -
and although the attire that modern people,
as well as soldiers, wear today
may not be as encompassing,
nor as metallic, from head to toe,
the “armour” of a suit and tie,
or the colours and badges of a uniform,
can give someone that much needed
faith in their own abilities to be able
to do what they must…
what someone wears can affect
how someone acts…
what someone wears can affect
how someone speaks
and how someone is heard…
what someone wears can affect
the perception of people;
however, appearances can be,
and generally are, deceptive,
and should be treated as only
as the surface level of something,
as well as someone -
because everything and everyone
is more than how they portray themselves to be,
and most people are more than how they appear to others,
and for some people that is
how they get through life,
that is how they protect themselves
from all that is going on around them,
and that is how they have learned
to become a part of the society
that they find themselves within…
sometimes some people choose things deliberately,
and sometimes some people choose things
without knowing why they feel drawn to them -
because some things feel obligatory,
while some things just feel natural;
and what someone wears can be a good indicator
of how someone feels about themselves,
or how they want other people to feel about them,
and then there are those who
just wear what works best for them,
and when they see themselves in a mirror
they say to themselves that no matter
where they are and who they are with
how they want to be seen is,
for better or for worse, just their look.
inspiration
A Journey Through Poetry #27: Warrior
This episode is a part of Mark’s “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Warrior’, from his poetry collection The Storyteller, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.
My Poem “Fridge Magnets”
Each of us are sentimental
for the way things were,
for the places we have visited,
for the people we have met,
as we have lived our lives
and as we have experienced
one memorable moment after another,
and because we all want to remember
as much as we can about what we have seen,
where we have been, and whom we have known,
each of us always find a way to retain
a fragment of our journey through our lives
in the form of mementoes that we return home with
and place in places of prominence
where we can see them
and whenever we want to be reminded
of who we were, where we were, how we felt,
and with whom we shared our time with.
We are all sentimental about our relationships -
and some people are sometimes
seemingly so desperate to show others
just how lucky they are to have what they have,
and just how fortunate they are to be able
to go where, and to do what, they are able to -
because they seem to have this need
to share everything with everyone
and not leave anything for themselves…
each of us are sometimes guilty
of being so self-indulgent that we cannot see
that we may be causing more harm than good
by being so open about things
that need not be said, nor shown,
because not everyone has the same means
to be able to make their dreams a reality.
In this day and age of social media platforms,
and in this time of social pressure
to have what others have,
each of us sometimes feel forced
to have an opinion on something, or someone,
and then voice that opinion for all the world
to see, and to read, just because we can -
however without fear of any real world repercussions…
I sometimes find it hard to believe that I,
and many others like me,
used to live in world that was so different
and so much more simpler not that long ago -
at least, in retrospect, that is how it feels -
because I still remember a time
before the interconnected system
that we are all used to and rely on these days:
a time of telephones with wires which you had
to answer to know who was calling;
a time of letters and postcards
that had to be handwritten and sent with a stamp;
before that advent of electronic mail,
texts, and direct messages…
like I said before, each of us are incredibly sentimental -
at least I am and my generation is,
as well as the generation before;
however, I wonder whether the people of the future
will be as sentimental about things, about places,
about experiences, about people as I am -
because we have already seen synthetic life
and artificial intelligence become
more and more common and hidden plain sight,
and there is no knowing what the world of tomorrow
will look like, nor if people will one day
give up on face to face interactions
and seeing the truth and the beauty of nature
in real life, and now just on a screen.
Personally, I hope that the more that some things will change
the more that some things will always remain the same -
because though some things and some people
must evolve if they are to survive,
our world is what it is and what it has always been
because its population has taken great pains
to not forget who built what we have
and who is responsible for what we have accomplished,
what we have created, and what we can achieve
if we remember that we all have
the capacity to work together
and to share what we have with one another -
and one thing I hope never changes
is the reason why people love
buying things that they don’t need
but which they convince themselves
will always mean something profound to them:
the same reason why we cherish childhood drawings;
the same reason why we frame diplomas
and awards and hang them from our walls;
the same reason why some people keep
objects that only have a certain amount
of value and significance to us
because they remind us of something,
somewhere, or perhaps someone;
and the reason why we continue to take photographs
and attempt to capture moments in time;
and the reason why we buy symbols
in the form of fridge magnets
so that we can be reminded
of that which will continue
to be replayed within our mind,
as if we could return to where we were
when we bought them
just by looking at them and remembering.
A Journey Through Poetry #26: From Time to Time
This episode is a part of Mark’s “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘From Time to Time’, from his poetry collection The Pathfinder, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.
A Journey Through Poetry #25: Continue On
This episode is a part of Mark’s “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Continue On’, from his poetry collection The Comeback Kid, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.
A Journey Through Poetry #24: The Secret Poet
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 ‘The Secret Poet’, from his poetry collection Poet of the Multiverse, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.
My Poem “The Voyagers”
Whenever we set out upon our journey
we always know what our destination will be…
whenever we travel to the stars
we always know that when we arrive
where we are supposed to be
we will be met by those who know us
and who understand us
better than anyone ever could…
whenever we return to the nexus
of hope and optimism that always brings us joy
we always feel so connected to one another
on a deep, meaningful, and a profound level
that it is hard to explain
because being with each other makes us feel better,
more rejuvenated, and free to be ourselves…
whenever we speak to those whom we meet
once again, after so long of being apart,
it is as if we can continue the same conversation
that we were previously engaged in
like no time has passed…
whenever we are together
we who dream the same dream
share an experience that inspires us,
invigorates us, and energises us
to such a high state of being
that the thought of having to return
to where we came from is always depressing…
whenever we have to leave the place
which gives us the means and the opportunity
to express ourselves and to live out our dreams,
each of us who are blessed to be there with one another
depart with a heavy heart -
but each of us know that we will all one day return
and see each other again;
because we are all the members of a collective
of incredible individuals who embody and embrace
infinite diversity in infinite combinations;
because we are all the explorers
and the voyagers of the endless frontier.
My Poem “Super Fantastic”
There are times when two,
or more, things happen at once -
but independently of each other -
which are intrinsically linked together
and ultimately need one another
in order for them to become
what they are supposed to be…
there are times when two,
or more, people meet for the first time,
from different sides of the spectrum of life,
and who immediately feel as if they
already know one another
and as if they have been to
the exact place where they met before -
as if they were returning to a moment being repeated…
there are times when two,
or more, “coincidences” happen
one after the other and everyone
has to ultimately conclude and agree
that what was witnessed wasn’t happenstance -
it was always meant to be, it was destiny…
there are times when two,
or more, instances of divine intervention
will occur and remind even the most
hardened nonbelievers that there is more going on
around each and everyone than can sometimes be
quantified, described, nor understood,
until you are able to see how the pieces of the puzzle
all fit together to make the final picture…
there are times when two,
or more, different paths will converge
and what will be found at the epicentre of choice
will become the most important thing in the universe
to those who are willing to sacrifice the shadow
of their own need to know how the world works -
and then a secret is revealed,
but in a form not entirely expected,
and a new version of reality
begins and start a chain reaction of events
that will take the shape of a new generation
of stars and believers in the limitless
possibilities and potential of the world
which must be protected from those
who do not yet know what it means…
there are times when two,
or more, of the chosen few
create something special, beautiful,
unique, transformative, inspiring, magical,
important, fascinating, and super fantastic.
My Poem “Work Together”
Like most people in this life,
at many points throughout my life,
I have had to choose between
one direction and another…
like most people in this world,
there have been several moments,
as an adult and still while I was a child,
when I have had to take my options into account,
and make a decision about,
what path my future could look like…
like most people living on this planet -
this spinning sphere of change,
orbiting around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour -
while growing up my imagination was filled with
sights and sounds of infinite and amazing possibilities
which I might want to explore further;
however, as reality becomes more complex,
and as we are all faced with the dilemma
of having to deal with making a living,
as well as finding a source of happiness
that we can return to time and again
to sustain us through the years of struggle,
each of us has to overcome the fact
that sometimes none of us has total control
over everything that happens,
nor how fast things happen -
because, though we have plans,
the universe has a more complicated lattice
of interconnected relationships and realities
constantly interacting with one another
that it must endeavour to keep in balance.
I have been working on the concept
and the project that is me since I was a kid -
and there have been many times
when I actually thought I had figured out
what my life was supposed to be
and what it was supposed to look like;
however, like everyone who has ever lived,
every time I believed that I had found
meaning, reason, and balance in my life,
the universe would always find a way
of telling me or showing me that I was wrong
and that I should think again…
I have had times when I have been riding high
and as happy and content as could be,
and then I have been reminded that nothing
lasts longer than it is supposed to
and what remains afterwards are only
shadows and reflections of what was
that can never be repeated -
but we don’t learn the heavy truths of
why we should embrace every single moment
with every single person we meet
until we lose contact with them
and we are forced to continue
our lives without them.
Like most of the people who have searched
their entire life for their own calling,
and who want to know what they should do
when they are presented with an opportunity
to influence the outcome of their own life,
I have continuously had to make
adjustments to my perspective
on certain things, on certain people,
and on certain assumptions that I might have had -
because I am, and I have always considered myself to be,
open and empathetic to others who live
a life similar, but different, to my own -
and I have never been afraid of
seeing the other side of an argument
and trying to find a solution based up
listening, learning, and understanding,
as much as I can, about
why people do what they do.
Like most people of my generation,
I have never been more disappointed
by anything than the fact that
some people seemingly cannot find a way
to put aside all that divides them
and come to a peaceful compromise
which benefits everybody and everything -
but the problem is no matter how much
some people have they always want more;
however, I cannot help myself from hoping
that one day everyone will come to their senses
and once and for all realise that the fate
of this world of ours is not for us to decide,
nor is the destiny of the life on this planet,
because we are all just the ones who
are currently doing the best we can
and living as we see fit;
however, several tribes, families, groups, gangs,
empires, dynasties, have thought
that they had dominion over all other peoples
and life on Earth for a fraction of time
in this life of this world -
which is why, in my opinion,
we should be grateful for what we have now
but never forget that change is inevitable
and the most important thing to remember
is that we are not alone in this universe
and that our journey as a planet
will only be allowed to continue as it is,
or evolve as it must,
if it is meant to, and if we once again
do not accept that the only way
to get the best out of everything
and everyone is to live and to work together.
A Journey Through Poetry #23: The Deep Blue
This episode is a part of Mark’s “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Deep Blue’, from his poetry collection The Rambler, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.
Mark The Poet 