poem

My Poem “Perseverance”

Mark Hastings books, Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The perseverance of imagination
is what gives an artist their muse…
the perseverance of an extraordinary idea
is what inspired the first philosophers,
the first explorers, the first inventors,
the first daredevils, the first pilots,
the first men to set foot on the moon…
the perseverance of a team of dreamers
is what has propelled all the man-made
exploratory robots launched into space
to get close up eye-views of the planets
of our solar system and has led to trails
of human built wheels to leave their mark
upon the dusty copper coloured
surface of the planet Mars.

Perseverance is having the strength
of mind to decide to not give up
no matter the distance that has to be crossed…
perseverance is moving forwards despite
others having reservations about your plan
because you know with all that you are
that not following your heart
would be a sacrifice with too high of a cost…
perseverance is finding answers to questions
that were once thought to be irrevocably lost…
perseverance is thinking about the potential
future of everyone on Earth instead of anchoring
yourself to the ideals of the distant past.

The perseverance of life is why there
is so much diversity of species
that is unique to this beautiful planet…
the perseverance of light is why
stars continue to shine long after
their life-span has come to an end…
the perseverance of spirit is why
singers continue to sing,
why painters continue to paint,
why actors continue to act,
why dancers continue to dance,
why people listen to music, fall in love,
and often find themselves living in a trance.

The secret source of success
is not achieving more of something
than somebody else –
the secret of true success is realising
what it takes to do what has to be done,
what it takes to make it through the hard times,
why it is important to believe in yourself,
why it is important to believe in others:
because it is remarkable what extraordinary
feats can be achieved by people
when they are inspired and they are compelled
by the power of perseverance.

My Poem “Rhyme & Reason”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , ,

The purpose of life is to live…
the meaning of life is to enjoy
the time that you have alongside
whomever you share your journey with…
the purpose of a sunset and a sunrise
is so that we may all realise
that there are things in this life that we
have no control over, which are bigger than ourselves,
from which we can all benefit…
the purpose of our imagination
is to enable us to understand the world
around us by using the power of our
own internal storytelling potential
to conjure and to decipher the characters,
the details, the plot, and the intentions
of those who give our world meaning –
just like the heroes whose tales fill
the texts of the worlds most ancient myths
and once provided its contemporary audiences
an opera of other-worldly thrills.

The original purpose of something
can be lost over time after it’s creator
has passed on and when the knowledge
of a once every day technology is
replaced by another…
the meaning behind why an expedition
was originally undertaken is sometimes lost
when adventurers and explorers
reach the end of the world
and they are unable to accurately
share what they saw when they walked
through the revolving door of mortality…
the origin of a word always remains the same,
however the meaning of a particular word
after every time it is translated
can over time lead to incomprehensibility…
no one alive today was there to take
a self-portrait of themselves
when the original flash of light
that began the universe took place –
which is why when it comes to questions
of how, when, why, and for what reason
we are all here all comes down to faith,
to interpretation, to preference,
to knowledge, to feeling,
and to the rhyme and the reason of
some incomprehensible poetry.

The original purpose of something
can be lost over time after it’s creator
has passed on and when the knowledge
of a once every day technology is
replaced by another…
the meaning behind why an expedition
was originally undertaken is sometimes lost
when adventurers and explorers
reach the end of the world
and they are unable to accurately
share what they saw when they walked
through the revolving door of mortality…
the origin of a word always remains the same,
however the meaning of a particular word after every time it is translated
can over time lead to incomprehensibility…
no one alive today was there to take
a self-portrait of themselves
when the original flash of light
that began the universe took place –
which is why when it comes to questions of how, when, why, and for what reason
we are all here all comes down to faith,
to interpretation, to preference,
to knowledge, to feeling,
and to the rhyme and the reason of
some incomprehensible poetry.

My Poem “Momentary Meditation”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , ,

All the sounds around us
can sometimes echo
and be distorted by the voices
and by the noises of every life –
so much so that it can be hard
to keep your thoughts focused on
what and who keeps running back
and forth through your mind.

The cacophonous chaos of the world
can at times make it hard to find the
peace and the calmness that everybody
occasionally needs to keep them alive…
everybody – no matter who they are –
could definitely benefit from taking
some time to close their eyes,
to switch off from the distractions
of memories, instincts, emotions,
hopes, wants, and desires,
so that they may attain some sense
of enlightenment as to who and what
is their source of inner light.

The shining moon and the stars of night,
as well as the bright blue sky of day,
have long been canvas for oracles
who have successfully guided people
and have provided visions of what is necessary,
what is natural, what feels familiar,
and what makes sense when thinking
about the who, what, where, when and why.

Time is precious and finding the time
to do things can feel like a luxury,
but if we do not all take advantage
of moments when we are not doing
anything in particular, apart from
perhaps waiting for the other shoe to drop,
to just stop, to breathe, to look into the distance
at the same time that we are looking within,
so that we can listen to the constant
broadcast of our own biological radio station
when it’s frequency mixes with that
of everything and everyone who
is also deeply resonating as well as receiving
profoundly meaningful revelations
via a deliberate or an accidental
practice of momentary meditation
wherever and whenever that they find themselves.

My Poem “So much to love”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , ,

There is so much to love about life…
there is so much to love about nature…
there is so much to love about the side
of the world that is seen during the day
and there is so much to love
about the side of the universe
that only reveals itself during the night…
there is so much to love about
how people care for one another,
how people are drawn to one another,
and how people choose to show
their love and devotion of one another.

There is so much to love about
certain people in our lives
than we could ever put into words…
there is so much to love about
how some people help those
who cannot help themselves
that is something instinctive than anything
that over time could ever be learned…
there is so much more to love about
the intrinsic language of the seasons
than our human ears could ever possibly hear…
there is so much to love about
those people who sacrifice their own lives
in order to give others a reason not to fear.

There is so much to love about
the things that we may see every day
that we may sometimes take for granted…
there is so much to love about
the mementos of memories that we
have made and the rembrances of experiences
that we surround ourselves with
that are a permanent fragment
of time that cannot ever be repeated…
there is so much to love about
a moment of silence when you can
look within yourself and know that
what and who you have in your
life are more than enough.

We cannot always get what we want –
but during our lives we are given gifts
that always remind us that though life
can sometimes be tough we can all find
an example of something or someone
who has qualities about them that draw
us to them because there is something about them
that there is so much to love.

My Poem “Appropriate Footwear”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,

You never know when you are
going to need certain things –
things that you may only think about,
look for, or even use at a particular
time or within a particular season of the year…
you never know when you are
going to need or when you are going
to want to wear a particular piece
of clothing that you like, for example,
because the design that it advertises
shows that you have a profound interest
in something or in someone for some reason…
you never know when you are
going to need a particular pair of shoes –
be they sneakers, boots, or something
that look comfortable enough to wear
around the house when you don’t need to go out…
you never know when you are
going to be presented with an easy
or a difficult dilemma based upon the weather –
such as a heavy deluge of snow,
a downpour of rain that has created
a brand new river outside of your front-door,
or perhaps you may ffereyind yourself poolside somewhere
or on holiday near a sandy beach –
and you have to decide what your current situation calls for:
Smart? Casual? Flip-flops?
Wellington boots? Or Barefoot?
That is why it is always important to consider
what you are doing and where –
because you might have to wonder
whether you are wearing the most
appropriate of footwear.

My Poem “Escapism”

Mark Hastings films, life, me, Podcast, Poetry, TV , , , , , , , , , ,

Reality is tangible, and yet there are times
when reality can feel absolutely unbelievable…
the real world is sometimes managible,
the real world is sometimes even palatable –
but occasionally the “real world” can
at times feel too much to handle.

Reality is physical and undoubtedly
it can at times feel painful…
the real world, the outside world,
is where things get done,
where progress is made,
where we get to look people in the eye,
where we get to share a smile,
where we get to experience things
that are grounded in nature –
but the real world is also where
the weight of certain things
upon our emotions and upon
our thoughts and upon our dreams
can sometimes make us all feel fragile.

Reality is life – but every so often
everybody needs a dose of something
that they have never seen before,
or perhaps something that they
may have seen over and over again…
everybody needs a vision of a life
and of a world unlike the one
that they are daily familiar with…
everybody needs to have this place,
this time, those moments,
those out of body experiences
when they get let their imagination
run wild so that it can play along with all
of the fantastic possibilities of creativity
that they see – which may not be
a true reflection of the everyday world,
but which are always considered to be
a source of hope to help people cope
and to get some much needed escapism.

Mark The Poet – The Podcast: Episode #70: “Preciousness”

Mark Hastings books, life, me, Podcast, Poetry , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark recites three of the most recent poems that he has written: “Naturally Reflective”, “Every New Someone”, “Loyal Companion”, and he reflects upon who he is, what he misses, and why life and the time that we all have is so precious and should not be wasted.

My Poem “Loyal Companion”

Mark Hastings life, Poetry , , , , , , , , ,

All those times when they looked up
at you with love in their eyes…
all those times when you would both
snuggle up to one another
and they would lay their head upon your chest…
all those times when you would
kiss them and they would kiss you
and they would want you
to stroke them as they rolled over…
all those times when you would both
go out for a walk, when you would talk
and even though they did not say a word
you knew that they were listening to you intently…
all those times when they would know
you were home even before they saw you,
when they would prick up their ears,
when they would wag their tail
and they would be so overjoyed
when they finally saw you.

There are no words to describe
what it is like to have an animal,
a best friend, a member of your family
who knows you better than you know yourself,
who you could never forget
all those times, all those moments,
and all those treasured and unforgettable
memories that you shared with them,
that you will always remember,
which you shared with a soul mate
who to you was more than a pet
and who to you will always be
a life long loyal companion.

My Poem “Every New Someone”

Mark Hastings life, me, Poetry , , , , , , , , ,

Holding a newborn baby in your arms
always brings home how precious,
how fragile, and how utterly unique
each of us truly are…
looking into a newborn baby’s
big blue eyes reminds us all
that everybody who arrives into this world
has the right to be given the best life
and to be protected by their new family
from coming to any harm…
seeing how dependent every new
gift to the world is to who they are
born to reminds us all that
even though every child born is a miracle
no child can grow and develop independently
of the energy and the influences
that constantly surround them…
being in the presence of a couple
who are the parents of a newborn
and seeing how through trial and error
they learn how to work together
to be there for their child when
they need them really brings home
the message and the meaning of life
that reminds all of us to be in awe
at the arrival of every new someone.

My Poem “Naturally Reflective”

Mark Hastings me, Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,

I am so reflective
that I might as well be a mirror…
my emotions flow so easily
I might as well be a river…
I am sometimes so transparent
I might as well be a window…
I am so easy to read
that I might as well be a book
because most of the time the expression
is one easy that accurately conveys
my feelings and my thoughts…
I am like a dark moonlit ocean…
I am like the spinning chrome rim
of a car wheel that is constantly in motion…
I am like a light-bulb whose face
brightens or dims depending upon
what I am talking about and who I am with…
I am like a stream of sunlight
after it passes through a prism of glass –
because when all of the individual
collective components that make me
who I am spill out of me
like water through a sive
all of the droplets of inspiration that
I have accumulated within me
share themselves so effortlessly,
because for better or for worse
I am and I have always been
someone who is naturally reflective.