Each of us are sentimental
for the way things were,
for the places we have visited,
for the people we have met,
as we have lived our lives
and as we have experienced
one memorable moment after another,
and because we all want to remember
as much as we can about what we have seen,
where we have been, and whom we have known,
each of us always find a way to retain
a fragment of our journey through our lives
in the form of mementoes that we return home with
and place in places of prominence
where we can see them
and whenever we want to be reminded
of who we were, where we were, how we felt,
and with whom we shared our time with.
We are all sentimental about our relationships -
and some people are sometimes
seemingly so desperate to show others
just how lucky they are to have what they have,
and just how fortunate they are to be able
to go where, and to do what, they are able to -
because they seem to have this need
to share everything with everyone
and not leave anything for themselves…
each of us are sometimes guilty
of being so self-indulgent that we cannot see
that we may be causing more harm than good
by being so open about things
that need not be said, nor shown,
because not everyone has the same means
to be able to make their dreams a reality.
In this day and age of social media platforms,
and in this time of social pressure
to have what others have,
each of us sometimes feel forced
to have an opinion on something, or someone,
and then voice that opinion for all the world
to see, and to read, just because we can -
however without fear of any real world repercussions…
I sometimes find it hard to believe that I,
and many others like me,
used to live in world that was so different
and so much more simpler not that long ago -
at least, in retrospect, that is how it feels -
because I still remember a time
before the interconnected system
that we are all used to and rely on these days:
a time of telephones with wires which you had
to answer to know who was calling;
a time of letters and postcards
that had to be handwritten and sent with a stamp;
before that advent of electronic mail,
texts, and direct messages…
like I said before, each of us are incredibly sentimental -
at least I am and my generation is,
as well as the generation before;
however, I wonder whether the people of the future
will be as sentimental about things, about places,
about experiences, about people as I am -
because we have already seen synthetic life
and artificial intelligence become
more and more common and hidden plain sight,
and there is no knowing what the world of tomorrow
will look like, nor if people will one day
give up on face to face interactions
and seeing the truth and the beauty of nature
in real life, and now just on a screen.
Personally, I hope that the more that some things will change
the more that some things will always remain the same -
because though some things and some people
must evolve if they are to survive,
our world is what it is and what it has always been
because its population has taken great pains
to not forget who built what we have
and who is responsible for what we have accomplished,
what we have created, and what we can achieve
if we remember that we all have
the capacity to work together
and to share what we have with one another -
and one thing I hope never changes
is the reason why people love
buying things that they don’t need
but which they convince themselves
will always mean something profound to them:
the same reason why we cherish childhood drawings;
the same reason why we frame diplomas
and awards and hang them from our walls;
the same reason why some people keep
objects that only have a certain amount
of value and significance to us
because they remind us of something,
somewhere, or perhaps someone;
and the reason why we continue to take photographs
and attempt to capture moments in time;
and the reason why we buy symbols
in the form of fridge magnets
so that we can be reminded
of that which will continue
to be replayed within our mind,
as if we could return to where we were
when we bought them
just by looking at them and remembering.
poem
A Journey Through Poetry #26: From Time to Time
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 ‘From Time to Time’, 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.
A Journey Through Poetry #25: Continue On
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 ‘Continue On’, 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.
A Journey Through Poetry #24: The Secret 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 an author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Secret Poet’, 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.
My Poem “Inter Arma”
Trigger Warning!
Whenever you turn on your television,
whenever you read a newspaper,
whenever you see images posted online,
whenever you open your eyes
and you brace yourself to see
what is going on around the world,
especially in this day and age,
you would not be mistaken for thinking
that this world was once again at war with itself;
however, in truth, this world
hasn’t known a period of perpetual peace for a long time -
but right now feels as if this world
has never been more fragmented,
and as if the most powerful countries
on Earth have never been
more polarised from one another…
when I see that the President of the United States of America
has signed an executive order declaring that
the “Department of Defense”
now be renamed the “Department of War”,
I start to believe that there has been
a change in direction enacted
by the leader of one of the world’s
most powerful superpowers -
and that is when I start to wonder
whether there will be a future
for the children of this world
in which they will know what it is like to live in peace,
instead of living in fear and never knowing
what it like to be hopeful and optimistic…
I am deeply troubled at the thought
of how many people have died
recently around the world
because they have been caught in the crossfire
of a conflict that they never wanted to be involved in,
I mourn for those innocent souls who have lost their lives
through no fault of their own,
and my heart goes out to all those people
who have lost loved ones as well as their
homes and their livelihoods
because they were overwhelmed
by the force of the storm of death and destruction
that war always rains down upon
everyone who find themselves in a war zone
that was once a place where many considered their home…
this world has been here before,
this world has been on the brink
of self-destruction because of humanity many times -
because we have allowed the unstoppable
war machine to continue to do what it does best:
build better weapons and come up with more efficient ways
to annihilate as many people as possible -
which, in my opinion, is the antithesis of the best of humanity…
every time I see what humanity is doing to itself,
every time I see the destruction and the decimation
that has been inflicted upon the homes of the victims,
and whenever I see the faces of the survivors
of the attacks and the atrocities that have been committed
by the opposing factions of a war,
I struggle to understand and to imagine
how and when this world will ever come to its senses
and end the suffering of the world once and for all;
however, I cannot help myself
from continuing to hope that one day
the long shadow that the world now lives underneath
will disappear and humanity will become
less obsessed with building and using
weapons of mass destruction
and bring about a present when we will never again
have to live in a state such as the one
it feels as if we are living in right now:
an era that undoubtedly feels
like a time of war.
My Poem “The Voyagers”
Whenever we set out upon our journey
we always know what our destination will be…
whenever we travel to the stars
we always know that when we arrive
where we are supposed to be
we will be met by those who know us
and who understand us
better than anyone ever could…
whenever we return to the nexus
of hope and optimism that always brings us joy
we always feel so connected to one another
on a deep, meaningful, and a profound level
that it is hard to explain
because being with each other makes us feel better,
more rejuvenated, and free to be ourselves…
whenever we speak to those whom we meet
once again, after so long of being apart,
it is as if we can continue the same conversation
that we were previously engaged in
like no time has passed…
whenever we are together
we who dream the same dream
share an experience that inspires us,
invigorates us, and energises us
to such a high state of being
that the thought of having to return
to where we came from is always depressing…
whenever we have to leave the place
which gives us the means and the opportunity
to express ourselves and to live out our dreams,
each of us who are blessed to be there with one another
depart with a heavy heart -
but each of us know that we will all one day return
and see each other again;
because we are all the members of a collective
of incredible individuals who embody and embrace
infinite diversity in infinite combinations;
because we are all the explorers
and the voyagers of the endless frontier.
My Poem “Super Fantastic”
There are times when two,
or more, things happen at once -
but independently of each other -
which are intrinsically linked together
and ultimately need one another
in order for them to become
what they are supposed to be…
there are times when two,
or more, people meet for the first time,
from different sides of the spectrum of life,
and who immediately feel as if they
already know one another
and as if they have been to
the exact place where they met before -
as if they were returning to a moment being repeated…
there are times when two,
or more, “coincidences” happen
one after the other and everyone
has to ultimately conclude and agree
that what was witnessed wasn’t happenstance -
it was always meant to be, it was destiny…
there are times when two,
or more, instances of divine intervention
will occur and remind even the most
hardened nonbelievers that there is more going on
around each and everyone than can sometimes be
quantified, described, nor understood,
until you are able to see how the pieces of the puzzle
all fit together to make the final picture…
there are times when two,
or more, different paths will converge
and what will be found at the epicentre of choice
will become the most important thing in the universe
to those who are willing to sacrifice the shadow
of their own need to know how the world works -
and then a secret is revealed,
but in a form not entirely expected,
and a new version of reality
begins and start a chain reaction of events
that will take the shape of a new generation
of stars and believers in the limitless
possibilities and potential of the world
which must be protected from those
who do not yet know what it means…
there are times when two,
or more, of the chosen few
create something special, beautiful,
unique, transformative, inspiring, magical,
important, fascinating, and super fantastic.
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.
My Poem “Sit”
Sit… Just sit…
Sit and listen to the sounds all around you…
What do you hear? What do I hear?
I hear the sound of train wheels,
against the backdrop of the sound of birdsong,
and then nothing, or almost “nothing” -
because I believe that there is
no such thing as “nothing”;
because there is always something happening
in this world and on every world,
even though from a distance
it might not seem that way.
First thing in the morning
has its own soundtrack
that is more serene, subtle, and subdued
in comparison to the rest of the day…
first thing in the morning
people and the world’s wildlife
are just waking up and undertaking
their daily routines and rituals
that will hopefully keep them
in good stead when it comes
to doing what they have to do,
and perhaps where they have to be…
first thing in the morning
there in an ambience of calmness
and a sense of peace -
however, before long, new sounds
make themselves be heard
and fill the air with noises
and voices that cannot be easily muted,
and what follows can be like
a sonic wave that overwhelms
everything and everyone else -
especially within a city.
There is nothing better than
sitting on a park bench,
as the afternoon sun shines down upon you,
and as the breeze rises ever so slightly
and gives you and your skin a gentle caress…
there is nothing better than
sitting on a beach, on a towel,
or perhaps while walking through
the crashing waves of a ocean,
and instantly feeling and understanding
the nature of the world
and all of our connections to it -
whether we realise the actual depths
that our integral bond reaches.
At sunset - and especially just after sunset -
when the sun is on the verge of fully descending
below the horizon and darkness rises,
that is when the sights and sounds of twilight
echo all around and make up us all feel
as if we are connected to something otherworldly,
but familiar at the same time:
the end, the beginning, the universe, life itself…
after nightfall, as the sound of cicadas can be heard,
as the hunters of the dark undertake
their nightly moonlit pursuit of their prey,
and as young and old dream of being able
to accomplish their hearts desires,
the stars of the cosmic sky above shine silently -
and yet, there is more to be found
and there is more to be heard
and discovered than could ever be imagined,
expected, nor explained;
and this is why it is important
to sometimes take the precious time
that is gifted to you and make the most of it,
when you are given the golden opportunity
to sit down and take a seat.
My Poem “The Messenger of Possibilities”
I used to be so fast…
I used to be able to move
with greater speed
seemingly than that of light,
or even that of thought…
I used to be in one place
and then gone the next
that I seemingly had no shadow to cast…
I used to be able to seemingly be
a different person, in different places,
interacting with different people,
all at once, and able to diversify
my time and my attention
seemingly to countless others…
I used to be unstoppable,
I used to be indomitable;
I used to be connected to so many,
in so many ways –
and then something happened:
I underestimated my own abilities
to be the one who could do
anything without consequence,
nor did I account for things
naturally coming to an end…
I used to have so many friends;
I used to have so many people
who looked upon me
with such love and enthusiasm;
I used to have the foresight
to enable me to be ahead
of the game being played –
and then I watched the house of cards
I had constructed fall down around me,
and since then I have seen
others pick up the cards that
I imbued with elements of myself
and take them with them and use them
to create barriers that keep me always
at arms-length, because they took
all that they ever wanted from me…
I find that I am now slower in speed
and more hesitant to jump at the chance
to throw caution to the wind
as I blaze a trail of flames
and do what I desire without a single thought
to the consequences of my actions;
I find that I am now more likely to be found
deliberating about what I should do,
rather than leaping into the unknown
and trying to find my way by using my instincts
to light the way that I would follow
to wherever I felt I needed to be, and with whom…
I find that I am now more likely to be found
in my own sanctuary,
rather than tripping the light fantastic
while dancing upon the water-drops
of a rainstorm brought to life
by the rays of the sun
converted into the arch of a rainbow.
And why? Because I care not
for what and for whom I was once obsessed about
and believed in to a fault;
because I no longer wish to be
the one who did all that he could
while receiving nothing in return;
because I no longer call my allies my friends,
nor do I call my enemies my nemeses –
because I am more than happy
with my own company and with those who
I wish to gift my time to;
because I have been blessed with the gift
of not being burdened by the pain of disappointment,
nor by the knowledge that I lived a life
navigating a labyrinth of relationships
built on lies and deception –
and which is why I live alone,
but not lonely, in my world of hope,
resilience, resolution,
and symbolic of the messenger of possibilities
that I always have been and always will be.
