The more you live, the more you grow,
the more you see, the more you hear,
the more you experience things changing
in profound, considerable, and unexpected ways,
the more you become aware and accustomed
to the insatiably complex nature of the world…
the more you learn about yourself
and the way things are and have always been,
the more you start to understand
and appreciate the things that have happened -
both the good and the bad -
that everything and everyone
has in common with each other…
the more you believe in the power of a person
to be able to change their mind
about what they have always believed,
the more that you realise that people
are not just driven by instinct alone;
because sometimes some people have such
an outpouring of empathy and compassion
for others whom they don’t know
that they even surprise themselves
and their level of charity and generosity
as a result can even surprise and surpass
any and every expectation that they
might have had of their own actions…
the more you do to educate yourself
on what is true and what is false,
on what can be described and what can be proven,
the more you learn that so much
of what we all do and what we have always done
comes down to what we are capable of sacrificing
in order to achieve a sense of purpose in our lives -
and sometimes the price we are faced with
we deem to be too high,
while sometimes some people find
that have no choice but to do what must be done…
the more you do not judge the person next to you,
or the person who is just trying to do their best
to find out why they are who and what they are,
the more that you will see that nothing and nobody
will ever truly fit the model of who they are
sometimes told they are expected to be -
because even those people who attempt
to publicly emulate someone else
behind closed doors everyone is their own self
with their own thoughts, feelings, and emotions
on things and on people, but sometimes
everybody has to keep their own council
on what to say and what not to say;
however, there are some people who
believe that it is their responsibility
to challenge, to argue, and to defend
each and every arena of self-expression,
because there are so many places in the world
where the freedom to say, and to be
who you want to be, is not a guarantee…
the more you accept that the more you know
the more you will be able to make something
that much more interesting and meaningful to you,
the more you will experience a new and a sometimes
more nuanced view of everything and everyone,
and the more that you see the cracks in the facade
of those who portray themselves as someone
and something seemingly untouchable
to the overriding principles and the laws of nature -
those described, as well as those intrinsic
to life as we know it on this planet -
the more you can come to realise that nothing
you can imagine is ever truly
outside of the realms of possibility.
nature
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.
A Journey Through Poetry #5: Every Day’s Eye
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 ‘Every Day’s Eye’, 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.
The Rambler – republished

Get your copy of the republished version of my book ‘The Rambler’ in hardback!
Originally published in 2020, ‘The Rambler’ is a poetry collection that signifies, describes, expresses, and attempts to explain, convey, and communicate my love of walking, as well as my love of nature, and my personal connection with the natural world.
A love of walking and of enjoying being outdoors has been a favourite passed time of mine and my family for generations, and the poems within my book ‘The Rambler’ are about why it is important to never take life, nature, people, and the planet we live upon for granted – because this world is the only one we have.
You can get your copy of the new hardcover version of ‘The Rambler’, featuring a new cover image of myself, from Amazon now!
-Mark
The Pathfinder: The Dance of Nature
My Poem “The Dance of Nature”
Seeing the fallen conkers below the tall horse-chesnut trees, watching the helicopter flight of the spinning sycamore seeds, I am always reminded of the transition of seasons taking place, and just how breathtaking and beautiful nature is, always has been, and always will be to me. There is always something in the air at this time of the year - something ethereal, something magical, something supernatural... there is always something in the way that people feel drawn to being outside and exposed to the elements that points to an underlying physical and emotional connection that we all feel and we all want to share with those who we are closest to. Since I was a child, I have always loved the autumnal colours, the intoxicating smell of the natural world that lingers after a rainstorm, the sight of the constellations of the stars of the night-sky that somehow shine clearer and brighter than at any other time, I have felt always invigoration of every one of my senses, influence my thoughts and my dreams - and the imprint that every transition that I have witnessed has had on me has been one that I never expected and I have never forgotten, because, as my Dad was aware and as my Dad always reminded me, everything and everyone is connected and we must all do all that we can to maintain the rhythm and the balance necessary while participating in the never-ending dance of nature.
