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 ‘No One Is Ever Alone’, 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.
people
My Poem “The Captain”
When you choose to rise
to a position when and where
you are the leader of company
and a crew of people who all look to you
for all the answers to every question
and a solution for every problem they have,
you find yourself having to become
someone and something
you may never have known
was always inside of you…
when you have to take charge
and be in command and in control of a team
and a vehicle that seems to have
a momentum of its own than cannot be stopped,
you have to change the way you think
and somehow become a master of multitasking
and juggling an infinite number and variety
of different tasks and responsibilities
that need a cool head to keep everything in balance
and operating at peak efficiency and productivity…
when you have to be the one
who has to portray yourself as the one
who does not seem to be phased by
all the things that happen which could not have been predicted
but which have to be addressed and adjusted because of,
you ultimately have to use your own instincts,
judgment, knowledge, experience, and understanding
to make a decision that will be beneficial to everything
and everyone who need the clarity of a vision
communicated to them in a certain way
to complete the mission before them…
when you must be the first person to arrive
and the last person to depart
you understand why it is necessary
to have an unbroken continuity of information
and communication between all levels of everyone
and anyone, anywhere, doing anything;
because though sometimes some things
are “need to know” between a small group of people
most things are generally better shared
with as many people as possible -
especially those things that if known
serve to change the way certain individuals look at
who they are, what they do, and why…
when you are the last link at the end of a chain of command
most of the time you do not have the luxury
to be able to step away from the line of duty
than can keep you bound to your post
because you are well aware than you made
a deal with destiny to be the best that you could be -
and sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself
for the greater good of others and be who some people
need you to be no matter what;
because you are at the top of the ladder,
and the leader of your own party of followers,
you have got to take responsibility for your own actions
and embrace the consequences,
and be the one who everybody knows
is undoubtedly “the captain”.
A Journey Through Poetry #52: The Touch of The 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 a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Touch of The Poet’, 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.
My Poem “The Author Mark Hastings”
For several years now,
not only have I been a writer and poet,
I have been an author of books
of poetry and stories -
each one filled with expressions and impressions
of me, my experience, and my imagination…
for so long now, I have been using my instincts
and my innate gift to be able to capture
a moment in time and create something new out of it -
a poem; a story; a thought; a character;
a motivation; a power; an insight of inspiration
that has never existed before,
but also a combination of other things
that might have come before,
but reconstituted with my own voice,
with my own words, and with echoes
of my own soul interwoven within.
It was never a dream of mine
to become a writer and an author, until it was;
it wasn’t until fate guided my way
and gave me an opportunity to open myself
to the possibilities of the universe and the future
that I knew something had happened to me
and something within me had been awakened…
being a writer and an author
was never a reality that I considered -
until I started down upon this long
and winding path that had gifted me so much,
and has taken me to so many places,
and I began to realise that I was not like everyone else,
but also that I was not alone in believing
and knowing that I had a calling to answer.
While growing up, I loved language,
I loved stories, I loved books, I loved characters;
however never did I imagine that one day
I would create my own for others to read,
enjoy, and go on a journey with them,
as I have done within my thoughts,
within my dreams, within the words within my books…
while growing up, I always saw the silver lining
of every cloud in the sky;
I always saw the proverbial glass
as half-full instead of half-empty;
I always believed that everything that happened
always happened for a reason -
however that was before several
inexplicable, unexpected, and unimaginable
things happened to me and I started to use
my poetry, my stories, my art as a means
to decipher the meaning and the mysteries
that I sensed bound the fragments
of the tapestry of my life together,
and it was when I started to see
everything and everyone for what they are -
as inspirational in an infinite number of ways -
that I knew I was fully embracing my destiny
and my chosen identity as that
of the poet, the writer, the storyteller,
and the author Mark Hastings.
My Poem “The Last Day of Summer”
The sun is still shining bright,
the sky is still as blue as a baby’s eyes;
but the audible ferocity of the wind
blowing through the trees
and making the power lines sway
is signalling the obvious end of one season
and the beginning of another…
it’s getting cold again;
it’s time to throw on a hat, a scarf, a coat,
and maybe a pair of gloves,
when going outside and having to go
and to do what has to be done.
Everything, once again, is transitioning
and transforming before our eyes;
some people cannot wait for what is
approaching them at full speed,
while others just want things to slow down
while they catch their breath;
everybody is just trying to keep calm
and collected while they feel as if
they are being caught up in a storm
of feelings and emotions,
because there is this palpable sense
that everything, once again, is changing –
and for some people this time of the year
is always one of uncertainty and fear
mixed with feelings of anxiety,
because what is going to happen
will leave a lasting impression
and strip some people of their confidence
just like a tree is made to slowly
shed its leaves and then find themselves
surrounded by them,
and they can’t do anything about it.
Some seasons are long;
some seasons are short;
some seasons are beautiful;
some seasons are hard;
but every season is different
from all those that came before
and are all filled with moments of joy,
as well as with moments of sadness –
and no one can no what a season will give you,
nor what a season will take from you…
some people will never be able to express,
nor explain, why they always feel as if they are
more or less a version of themselves
that they never believed they would become –
especially those people who have to choose,
and have chosen, to do things that they know,
and knew, other people would not be able to see,
nor understand, until all was said and done.
Today is the day when the world itself
shifts its axis and drags everyone
into a new direction and down a path
that will not always be easy to navigate,
and impossible to reverse;
but this is what has to happen,
this day is when it always happens –
whether everyone realises it or not;
today is the day when everything
and everyone closes their eyes
and then opens them again
and just like that one season has faded away
and another season has already begun,
and today is the day and the time
when that biggest change of nature
comes in from the west and pushes
everyone into a new place
and into a new phase of existence;
today is the day and the time
which is also known as
“the last day of Summer”.
Godspeed by Mark Hastings – Chapter Eleven: “Homecoming”
The audiobook for “Godspeed” (2026) by Mark Hastings – Chapter Eleven: “Homecoming”
Godspeed is available to buy from Amazon now: https://amzn.eu/d/03GD38e2
Godspeed by Mark Hastings – Chapter Nine: “Safe Haven”
The audiobook for “Godspeed” (2026) by Mark Hastings – Chapter Nine: “Safe Haven”
Godspeed is available to buy from Amazon now: https://amzn.eu/d/03GD38e2
Godspeed by Mark Hastings – Chapter Eight: “Insurance Policy”
The audiobook for “Godspeed” (2026) by Mark Hastings – Chapter Eight: “Insurance Policy”
Godspeed is available to buy from Amazon now: https://amzn.eu/d/03GD38e2
Godspeed (2026) by Mark Hastings – Chapter Five: “A Little Less Conversation”
The audiobook for “Godspeed” (2026) by Mark Hastings – Chapter Five: “A Little Less Conversation”
Godspeed is available to buy from Amazon now: https://amzn.eu/d/03GD38e2
The Outsider: “The Poetic Method”, “Poetry is Everything to Me”, “The Outsider”
The poems “The Poetic Method”, “Poetry is Everything to Me”, and “The Outsider” taken from my 2026 poetry collection ‘The Outsider’ – out now and available to buy online from Amazon.
