loss
My Poem “Relationship’s End”
A relationship doesn't just happen,
a relationship takes time
to build, to grow, to change...
a relationship can begin
in many different places,
at many different times,
for many different reasons,
and in many different ways...
a relationship does not have
an established timeline, a map,
nor a explanation as to when
and how things will happen
over the course of it, nor why -
because a relationship must be allowed
to become what it is supposed to be.
When it comes to relationships,
you cannot compare
the relationship you have with someone
to the one shared by other people,
because every relationship is unique...
when it comes to knowing
what to do while in a relationship,
no one can know what is the right thing
and what is the wrong thing to do -
because no matter how much time
you spend committed to making
a relationship last as long as it can,
nor how hard you try,
things will undoubtedly happen
that will push every bond to its limit,
and cracks will ultimately start to form,
and one day -
through no fault of any one person -
a relationship, like a mirror,
might shatter into pieces
because of all the stress
it finds itself under.
Sometimes relationships end
because they have to,
because they were always meant to -
however, when you look back
over the path you made with someone,
you can see where things started
to slowly but surely go wrong
from all the clues
that were always there to be found...
when a relationship is no more,
and you have to walk away from someone
who used to mean something profound to you,
it can be easy to blame yourself
for why things went from good to bad -
but sometimes some things
are just not meant to last,
because sometimes when we catch up,
and then we go beyond,
what we always thought
a relationship would be
all we start to see
are all our chances to leave,
all the escape routes,
all the ways out we can use
to return to a state of being
when and where we are accountable
to no one else's actions but our own.
The Pathfinder: Not Doing Christmas
The Pathfinder: Within Me/Without You
The Pathfinder: Everything to Me
Short story: ‘The Angel’s Halo’ (2016): “The Angel’s Halo” – part 2
My Poem “Not Doing Christmas”
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year,
Christmas can feel magical to children
and to people of all ages,
Christmas is about family and connection
and it is about sharing love and friendship;
however, for a lot of people,
more so now than ever,
Christmas is a time that they dread,
Christmas can feel too much,
Christmas is a time that reminds
some people what and who they have lost.
Christmas decorations are lovely,
sending Christmas cards is sweet,
Christmas parties and gatherings are great,
and it is always good to let your hair down
and socialise with those whom you work with,
or perhaps those whom you may only see once a year;
but there are so many lonely people
who feel at their lowest during the festive period,
because they feel as if they have
forever lost the spirit that they once
had within them to be able to
enjoy the traditions
that have gone hand in hand
with Christmas and the New Year -
so much so that they wince
at the words "happy" and "merry"
that are used when someone
utters a Christmas wish.
Some people will have no choice
but to spend their time away from
those whom they love
because coming together is feat that,
for multiple reasons, is particularly difficult...
for some people, Christmas
just does not feel the same as it used to
when times were better
and when there was more to look forward to.
Some children will make a list
or write a letter to Father Christmas
and hope that they get what they asked for;
however, every year, so many parents
know that there is no way
that they will be able to give
their children what they want,
but they will always endeavour
to give their children what they can,
and more than anything
love, happiness, and protection
is all that they really need.
For some people, Christmas is
when they can be themselves -
but, for some, Christmas can be
when people look into the faces
of family members and wish
that they could bring them back full to health.
On Christmas day, multiple families
will open presents in the morning
and then in the afternoon
they will gather around a table
and enjoy a Christmas feast;
however, there will be those people
who on Christmas day will
not have one Christmas present to open
and will consider Christmas day
just like any other day.
There is always a reason for everything -
and while some people will make
the most of every second of
"The most wonderful time of the year",
some people will not will watch
the festive period pass without a fuss
because, for personal reasons,
they choose to not do Christmas.
‘The Wolf In Us’ by Mark Hastings (2022) – The Complete Audiobook
My Poem “Dear Dad”
Whenever a beam of sunlight touches us,
whenever a red-breasted robin
comes to visit us,
whenever we see a white feather
on the path before us,
whenever we feel someone
standing beside us,
whenever we see your face within our mind,
we know that you have returned to us
to make sure we are OK,
as you put your hand upon our shoulders,
as you continue to smile
your one of a kind smile,
as your blue eyes continue to shine
brighter than the stars of night sky,
as you continue to give us the gift of you,
as well as your amazing presence and radiating spirit,
as we all continue to feel
your everlasting love.
I can not believe that it has been
a year since I last saw you,
I can not believe that it has been
a year since I last heard your voice,
I can not believe that it has been
a year since I last held your hand;
every day, I still feel our bond and our connection...
every day, I can still feel your presence
and I have felt comforted by the knowledge
that I know you are now living a life
somewhere beyond what can be seen -
because you have visited me
and you have spoken to me
now multiple times in my dreams.
Life will never again
be the same as it was...
every day I think about you,
and I can still recall how
devastated and distraught
I was when I found out
that you had been taken from us...
I am not the same as I was,
nor could anyone hope to be
following the loss of someone
who meant the world to them,
as you will always mean to me...
I will always remember all that
you gave me and all that you taught me,
and I will continue your legacy
for as long as I live...
to me, you will always be
the best father anyone ever had
and you will always be
my inspiration and my hero,
my incredible and my always
near and dear Dad.
David William George Hastings
6th January 1949 - 8th December 2022
markthepoet.me 