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 ‘Halcyon’, from his poetry collection Poet of the Sphere, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.
muse
A Journey Through Poetry #6: Blessed
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 ‘Blessed’, 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.
The Pathfinder: The Dark Side of The Muse
My Poem “The Olympia”
From the moment that I saw it in the window of the Cancer Research UK charity shop, I knew that I had to step inside and buy something that writers have used for years to type, to print, and to share their ideas with others the world over since its invention... from the moment that I saw the Olympia typewriter, I felt as if I were immediately drawn to it for some reason that I can not yet explain... there was something about the Olympia - something that spoke to me, as if the typewriter itself was talking to me, beckoning to me, to become its new owner and take it home with me so that it could be a talisman for me in all my future literary endeavours... from the moment that I stroked my fingers upon the black keys of the Olympia, I felt a moment of connection with whomever it was the typewriter had previously belonged and I knew that I was always meant to possess it, to use it, and to take it with me on the next chapter of my writing journey... from the moment that I held my silver pen that I used to write hundreds of my poems, when I first became a writer, I also remember feeling a similar impression of instant inspiration - and that is why I believe that something wonderful and transformative awaits me, and will elevate me to new heights of poetry, because I have now have at my fingertips the totem of my kin that is my typewriter: The Olympia.
My Poem “Darkside of the Muse”
The muse of an artist can be beautiful... the muse of an artist can literally radiate with light... the muse of an artist can take them to the infinite possibilities that lie far above the clouds and beyond the blue... the muse of an artist can stay with you your entire life; however, as with everything that exists in a state of balance, where there is light, there is always dark. Inspiration is everywhere - in everything, in everyone - and it can compel artists, especially, to do many things and to go to many places that might, ordinarily, seem out of character... Inspiration - mixed with intense emotion - can send those capable of interpreting the poetry of the world - in colours, music, pictures, or with words - off on a tangent from which the road to return might not be one that is straight and narrow. Day and night, the love felt by artists radiates and echoes beyond their thoughts and dreams - and sometimes when an artist meets someone new who immediately touches them and transfers something incredible and powerful to them, a change can be felt, sensed, read, heard, seen, in everything that the artist does, and creates; and when an artist's heart is inevitably broken, it can feel as if a black hole has opened up within them, and they can find themselves walking a path upon which they feel as if they no longer have anything left to lose... just like the shadow of the moon, just like someone in a bad mood, just like the explosive that ultimately lies at the end of burning fuse - there is always a light side and a darkside of the muse.
A Poem A Day #518: A Poet and Their Muse
My Poem “My Muses”
It all started with my first - the one who inspired the first poem I ever wrote; and then, over the years, there have been others whose names now sometimes get stuck in my head as well as in my throat. It has always been hard for me to move on - to resign myself to the fact that my relationship with some things and with some people has now been and is now gone. Whenever I meet someone new I never anticipate ever saying goodbye... whenever I know that it might be the last time that I get to see someone who I love I always feel sad and I always want to cry. If someone has inspired me that means that there is something profoundly special about that person... if I have fallen for someone that means that I made a connection with them than for me can never be undone. If things were once good between someone else and I then that must mean that there must have been something wonderful between us at one time - especially at the beginning... even when some things ultimately go bad that does not mean that everything that happened should make you feel as if you wasted your time - because what you went through was unbelievably memorable and deeply meaningful and inspiring. Even after a heart breaks love lingers on... even after you lose someone the memories that you shared with them continue to mean something to you - sometimes long after you thought them to be lost. Your first is never your last... you can never hide from your past... we all have our own individual version of a story that only we can tell our side of... we all know what we have to sacrifice when we find someone who we instantly love. I have loved... I have lost... I have been inspired... I have felt fulfilled... I have felt the pain of lies... I have felt the most powerful force known to man - love - in times of utter darkness that has given me hope, happiness, and light - and it is to those people who inspired me, once upon a time, that I wish to pay tribute to: those people who gave me a gift that I will never forget and who to me will always be a muse.
A Poem A Day #271: Modern Muse
A Poem A Day #77: His Muse’ Voice
My Poem “A Poet and Their Muse”
It is not as easy as some people might think to imagine something from nothing as fast as it takes for someone to blink… even for those people who are skilled at improvisation, the ability to be able to come up with something on the spot is a miraculous gift of inspiration… unless you know someone or something well then it is almost impossible to create an expose about them without first spending some time with a particular person or thing and observing everything about them – from the way that they talk, to the way that they look, to the way that they listen, to the way that they move… and unless you ask questions and get answers then no one can know anyone, nor anything, nor find out how, nor why, they do what they do. How does a painter paint? How does a writer write? How does a human being or an animal live and breathe? And the answer to all those questions is the same: simply by doing so – because creativity, like most facets of instinct, is involuntary, and it is done first and foremost without any thought of personal gain. Artists create art because they must… sometimes there is more to say about something old than there is about something new… there is something more interesting about finding out how, why, when, and where something emerged into this world as a result of a specific converge and configuration of cosmic dust that had to occur. Artists can describe an idea, a thought, a piece of art that they have originated – but, in all honesty, no artist could ever accurately tell you where, when, why, nor how they are able to do all that they do, because the sharing of inspiration from the source to the artist is a language that is only known by a poet and their muse.
Mark The Poet 