My Poem “The Switch”

When I first began writing poetry
it was like a light had been switch on...
when I first began writing poetry
it was at the same time that I fell in love...
when I first began writing poetry
it was like walking outdoors
and feeling the touch of the sun...
when I first began writing poetry
it was like I already knew that I was
a poet for life and not just for the moment.

Some things you think you
know for sure and forever -
but then they change...
some people you think you know
as well as you know your own face -
but then they take a hard left
down an unexpected alley...
some things look perfect 
with the right lighting -
but their flaws become apparent
when seen in the light of day...
some people look idealistic from far away -
but up-close everybody's cracks are exposed
like the shadows of monuments in a valley.

I didn't know what was inside of me
until I found the right person
with the right key to unlock
the door of my library of internal poetry...
I didn't know what would happen
after I started walking down this road
that I have been on now for years -
but I knew that would never be truly alone
and that there would always be
something and someone with me...
I didn't know what it meant
to have been found until I felt my eyes,
my mind, my heart, my ears, my soul
open wide and never want
to miss a thing about anything
and everything ever again...
I didn't know what lay beyond the horizon,
in outer space, or in the dark,
until I saw that there is always
a way and a gift for me to turn to
and to turn on whenever I want to
like a switch.

A Poem A Day #158: Lux

“Lux” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Sound of Mark’ which was published in 2014 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings

My Poem “Park People”

Parks are wonderful places...
Parks are beautiful oases...
Parks are where people run
and walk through...
Parks are can be islands of every size
where people sit, exercise, get a sun tan,
have a party, or have a picnic,
and where people who know each
can all gather together to enjoy
their own company as well as
consume thirst quenching beverages
and some of their favourite food.

Parks are also the places where
those who are homeless go to every
night to lay down upon the grass and sleep...
Parks are where people young and old
can rejuvenate themselves and be reminded
of memories and experiences
that they will always want to keep...
Parks can have amusements,
rides, sights and sounds that
cannot be found anywhere else on Earth...
Parks can be where things are lost
as well as where things can be found -
and Parks can also be at both the beginning
as well as at the end of a particular search.

Parks often have benches...
Parks often have plants and animals
that people can make a connection with
with all five of their senses...
Parks are where some people
want to be laid to rest after they die...
Parks all have paths that allow
the people who visit them to navigate
through to them from every side...
Parks are for everything and for everybody
and the importance of their preservation
to all life on Earth is unestimable -
but there are those who may not be able
to enjoy nature as much as they would hope,
and then their are those who
take every opportunity, whenever they can,
to embrace every moment that they
get to embody what it means
and to be someone who might
affectionately describe themselves,
or might perhaps be described as being,
one of the many "Park People".

My Poem “The Blackout”

One second there was light
and the next there was darkness…
One second all was bright
and the next I couldn’t see
my hand in front of my face…
One second I was looking at
my phones illuminated screen
and the next I was using the torch
of my phone to guide my way…
One second the sun was shining
and the next it had completely
disappeared below the horizon
heralding the end of the day.

I still remember those days
and those nights when I was a child
when the power used to go out
every now and again –
but whenever it happens now
it is always a complete and utter surprise
to the degree that some people
still attempt to flick light-switches
on and off multiple times
perhaps believing that they can cause
somekind of electrical reset.

It’s strange looking out of the window
at night and seeing all the streetlights off…
it’s odd having no power, no light,
and no heat for a short amount of time –
but such an experience does make you truly appreciate how much we all
do sometimes take for granted
the gift of instant electricity,
and how much when we do not have it
at out disposal some of us feel immediately lost.

When the lights come on again,
when the TV screens flicker back to life,
and when we no longer have any further need
for the torches and the candles that we
had lit as temporary sources of light,
we all feel thankful to be able
to see clearly and to feel comfortable
once again in our world of modern enlightenment
that for a time had been taken away from us
by the inconvenience of a brief
but significant neigbourhood blackout.

Mark The Poet – The Podcast: Episode #62

My Poem “Equinox”

Life feels like we have truly arrived
at a moment between light and dark…
life feels like we are transitioning
between two states of being…
after all that has happened this year,
after we have all sacrificed
and after how far we have all come,
life feels as if it is in a state of resistance –
because humanity feels like it is
stuck in a game of tug of war with itself
and with a nemesis they cannot see clearly.

Life in some shapes and places is continuing
regardless of everything else –
as they always have done –
while some individuals fear that
they have reached a point of no return
and everything that happens next
with be irrevocable, and the pain
that will be felt will cut deep.

Life on planet Earth has been shook
profoundly by what has occurred this year…
life will never again be the same as it was…
life is subjective and based upon
the personal perspective of an individual
at a specific here and a specific now.

Life has been though dark times before;
however, after every era of profound change,
nature teaches all things that they need
to find a way to adapt to the circumstances
and the surroundings that they find
themselves in and to do their best
to find a balance that they may have lost –
and there is no better time to be
a shining example of phenomenal
strength and fortitude than right now,
at this moment of equinox.

Mark The Poet – The Podcast: Episode #35

Mark The Poet – The Podast: Episode #7

My Poem “Painting by Numbers”

The sun shines during the day…
the sky flashes during the night…
the heat is too much for some
people to take that they have to
spend most of their time
sitting in the shade…
within the dark clouds above
storms rage and echo the unparalleled
power of nature’s electricity
that manifests itself in the form
of both light and sound,
occasionally frenetically.

The summer months are usually
defined by the colours that are
seen emanating all around…
during the summer months
people usually take their time
to seek out a particular place
that they hope, or may already know,
will be somewhere special,
memorable, hopeful, and profound.

When painting a picture of the world
that they see, some people like to use
examples of other things
to compare their vision to,
for example: when someone sees
a beautiful person who is perfect
to them in every way, they may
compare them to a flower,
such as a daisy or a rose –
and in doing so they are
knowingly, or accidentally,
speaking in the language of poetry…
art, in its infinite forms, is an expression
of an artist who wishes to give
an example of who they are,
what they are, and what drives their heart
to share the story of something,
somewhere, or someone,
so powerfully, and yet so effortlessly
as if they were painting by numbers.

My Poem “Eyes”

I wonder how many people realise
that when they are staring into
another person’s eyes
that they are not only looking at
the windows into a person’s soul
but they are also seeing the most
external part of that person’s brain
which is constantly relaying multiple images
at the speed of light down the optic nerve
of each eye to the part of the brain
responsible for making decisions
and stimulating many simultaneous
reactions as a result,
and it is also true that you can tell
a lot about a person’s health
and their lifestyle by watching
the way that the iris of someone’s eye
moves, dilhilates, focuses and flickers –
and I think the fact that our eyes
have such a direct connection to
the way our brain operates,
the thoughts that we have,
and the storm of chemicals that
bubbles up within us perfectly
symbolises
why it is important to take care of your eyes
because they are vital in more ways
that some people might realise.