Poetry

My Poem “Nightingales”

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

Walking out into the morning light,
as the sound of the Nightingale’s song
can be heard heralding a new day,
men and women seamlessly
cross paths and exchange
distinct and yet unique calls
of mutual and reciprocal
strength, solidarity
and understanding
to one another in order to help
sustain those continuing
to give care to those in need
as well as to give those returning home
something to aid their sleep
as they prepare to say goodnight.

The care of patients in hospitals
is a round the clock necessity…
the care of people struggling
to breathe these days is among
the highest of priorities…
the attention given to people
unable to fully realize what
is happening to them is done delicately…
now is the time when we see –
almost every hour of every day –
so many examples of people
exhibiting the best traits of humanity.

The daily lives of countless people
have been effected and disrupted,
and everybody in one way
or another has had to adapt to
different ways of behaving that may
have seemed alien before the world
was seemingly turned upside-down…
we are all trying to be there for
those who are in lockdown
and those who are sheltering within
their homes because they are among
our society’s most fragile.

Being caring and thoughtful
in the service and in memory of others
is always a powerful way of thwarting
any and all inner demons and doubts…
being there when and where we are needed
and never ceasing to make our
calls of hope resonate as loud as possible
is what we can all do every moment
of every day and in turn use
the power of our voices in such a way
that may be heard and remembered
to be just as distinctive and joyous
as that of the sound of
a nightingale’s chorus.

My Poem “Bella”

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

There are so many beautiful
things that we see
and there are so many beautiful
moments that we experience,
but there are only a handful
of beautiful souls with a heart of gold
that we meet throughout our lives –
from people to animals –
who get us through the bad times,
who remind us of the good times,
who are there when we need them,
who look forward to seeing us
when we walk through an open door,
and it is the memories that we have
of these friends large and small
that everybody think back to
because what they still mean to us,
even after they have passed on,
is beautiful in every way
and the spirit of who they are
will live on and last a lifetime.

My Poem “Nature’s Poetry”

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

Every day when I walk
I feel like I am genuinely
hearing the voice of nature
talk and converse with me…
every day when I walk
and I see trees with green,
gold, brown, and red leaves
I am always fascinated to know
the story of how they came to be
and what the landscape looked like
before there was this impressive
oasis of forestry and home to so many
types of animals and their families.

Every day when I walk
I feel a deep connection with nature,
and even though I am always by myself
I admit that I never feel alone…
every day when I walk
I stand upon hillsides
and I look all around at countryside
and I feel so much inspiration
and power beating from this place
that I call my home.

Every day when I walk
I leave my footsteps
in grassy embankments
alongside those of the impressions
left behind by animals like
rabbits, foxes, deer, birds –
and while I follow the trail
left by others before me
I always stop momentarily
to inhale all the aromas of nature
being carried on the wind
that swirl all around me.

Every day when I walk
something that cannot be described
releases within me and just like that
I feel like I am a child again
and running without a care
through a field as green as could be,
as if I have walked back through time
and returned to being an earlier
version of me, as I used to be,
and there is always this amazing
feeling of belonging that I feel
accompanying me whenever
I take a walk and I draw upon
the inspiration of nature’s poetry.

My Poem “The Spirit of Life”

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

Whatever is within
must undoubtedly come out…
whomever is on the inside
must reveal themselves…
whatever remains to be said
will one day be said out loud…
whomever is usually free-spirited,
outgoing and who seeks the most
potent moments of life
will do whatever they can to
rebel and break free from
confinement above all else.

Whatever someone thinks
they know about themselves
the person who knows them the most
is their own reflection,
their own thoughts,
their own dreams, their own shadow,
their own voice, their own ghost…
whomsoever comes into a person’s life
will have an impact that cannot be
estimated or fully understood
until long after that first contact
grows into something meaningful,
substantial and it evolves
beyond to become something
deeper that can be shown.

Whatever drives the reason
for why someone does something –
something that was the initial idea
that created a spark into action –
will always remain at the heart
and will never stop being the source
from which every action afterwards
is generated…
whomsoever responds to whatever
they see, hear, feel and experience
are voluntarily and involuntarily
participants and contributors
in the process of maintaining
the fundamental stream and flow
of the spirit of life
that so many people see in others
and consider to be something important
that needs to be revered, cherished,
and never maliciously sedated.

My Poem “Eternity’s Ultimate Goal”

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

The world of life is filled with colour…
the underworld is black and white…
the world around us is like no other…
the world to come is devoid of time,
perspective, reason, and drive…
the world of the now is where
and when we accomplish what
we are meant to do…
the world behind the invisible curtain
is where we reflect on what was
and what could have been…
the world of the present is
where, when, and how the universe renews…
the world beyond this one that is so
unfathomable from the reality of the tangible
because what people encounter
when they pass over is so ethereal
that what and who we interact with
would be similar to that of a dream…
the world that people see, hear, feel
touch and think about every day
is constantly evolving…
the world far beyond the clouds
is the next phase of the soul…
the world in which the living live in
is a journey with a definitive ending…
I believe that the world of the infinite
that awaits everybody is where people go
to find all the missing pieces from
their life that they lost in order to
fully understand what is the true
and pure answer that explains
the meaning of all life
and eternity’s ultimate goal.

My Poem “Continue to Shine”

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

The sun shines down upon me
and I instantly start to smile…
the sun shines and I instantly
feel the touch of celestial inspiration
that has given rise to many
daydreams since I was a child…
the sun shines and I feel like a solar-
powered fountain of thoughts and energy…
the sun shines and every detail
that I see of everything around me
appears to glow even more brightly
than any colour I have ever seen.
the sun shines and I feel as if
I have literally been caught
in its tangible gravity…
the sun shines and it seems to me
as if every flower and every blade of grass
is lending its one unique voice
to the song of life and ultimately
teaching me a lesson about humanity
and about my connection to eternity.

The sun shines as people go about their lives
and as birds sing and fly
against an unbroken blue sky –
and within its intense rays
I believe that I can feel
a combination of the hope, the joy
and the resplendency that lies within
the heart and within the spirit
of all the things that combine
to make this beautiful world of ours
the jewel of the galaxy that it is
and will continue to be
as long as we who are the custodians
and the protectors of the diverse life
that resides and connects everybody
and every thing on planet Earth
maintain the light of the eternal spark
that with all of our heart and soul
will continue to shine.

My Poem “There are always possibilities”

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

There comes a time in the life
of everything and everyone
when there is the perfect
combination of the right place
and the right time
when the right individual
is touched by the spark
of intuition, instinct,
and by the power of inspiration
just enough to push them into making
and creating something new
that rises out of the ether
of the invisible energy network
that connects life on every scale
imaginable and unimaginable.

There comes a time in a society
when people start to reach for
one another and find a fundamental
and mutual connection that helps them
make sense of a thought, a dream,
or an emotional moment
that they have had so that they
can find a way to release
the offspring of ideas
that has coalesced within them
and has emerged into something
that somehow feels like
it has a life and a voice
of its own.

There comes a time when things
like art, music, stories, poetry,
people, attitudes, fashion,
entertainment reach an impasse
and they are recognized as being
inseparable, revolutionary
and as if they are all
waves of creation from an ocean
of consciousness that is
communicating the same message
of unity and of understanding
but on different frequencies
of perception.

There have been times of enlightenment
in human history – within the life-times
of such geniuses as Leonardo Da Vinci,
Michaleangelo, William Shakespeare,
Albert Einstein, or within entire
decades such as the 1980s,
when true inspiration, magic,
and incredible inventions of every kind
made it possible for echoes to be
generated that would lead to
phenomenal reactions and creations
which still continue to interact,
define, combine and connect with
many sources of life in sometimes
subtle ways that continue to daily
remind us all that there are
always times when there are
always possibilities.

My Poem “This is the way”

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

There are times when
some people can believe
that all hope has been lost…
there are times when
people cannot see beyond
the shroud of darkness
that obscures the constant stars…
there are times when people
walk through a forest of trees
and they cannot see a path
to the outside and back to the light…
there are times when
people have to dig deep and feel
for the source of the force
that shines like a beacon within them
and which seeks to cut through
the chaos of a moment
like a sabre of peace
that can be formidable if needed
to be used during a fight for survival.

There are times from dawn to dusk,
as the Sun walks the sky
and guides the lives
of billions of people
who are all seeking to play their part
in keeping the phantom menaces
that occasionally plague the world at bay –
however staying a course,
standing up against an adversary
who seeks to impose their will
over the innocent of society,
speaking out for those
who do not have a voice,
and saving the life of people
who you might not know
is the least that anyone can do,
and in the mission of those
who seek peace, harmony
and reconciliation with all things,
while walking with their head held high
and while basking in the light
of the living, is how it is possible
to be a force for good
in the world in some way.

My Poem “God Bless the N.H.S.”

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

I believe that we here in the U.K.
are truly lucky and should be
thankful to have a National
Health Service filled with
Health Care Professionals
such as Nurses, Doctors,
General Practitioners, Chemists,
and those who care for the frail
and the elderly of our society –
and in my opinion
since the outbreak of Covid-19
each and every member of the national
medical team has outdone themselves
tirelessly, physically, emotionally,
and psychologically
as they have daily sought to slow
the spread of the Coronavirus
as well as to help the many suffers
of this deadly disease fight it
and with God’s will survive it.

I believe that the men and women
of the National Health Service –
who so many people leave their homes
briefly for, stand outside their
front-door for, and clap for
every Thursday evening at 8 o’clock –
are some of the most remarkable
healthcare workers in the world,
and the sacrifices that some of them
have made since the start of this
world-wide epidemic will
never be forgotten and for years
to come they will be remembered
and memorialized for the part
that they have played in helping
to deliver a future
for all of humanity.

I am so proud to call
the United Kingdom my home
and in large part because of what
the Great British people
are blessed with in abundance –
and I think this crisis
that we are currently living through
is proof of how lucky we all are
to be able to get back
what we have given
when we need it the most,
and the fact that every British citizen
can walk into a hospital and be treated
with the best health care in the world
no matter who they are
or where they are from is an example
of just how much we here
in Great Britain are blessed…
the pride of the country
and the true heart of the nation
in which we live in, to me at least,
is undoubtedly the wonderful
and the heroic men and women of
the incredible National Health Service.

My Poem “Rain Brain”

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

I’m not sure what
this says about me,
but I have always enjoyed
walking in the rain…
ever since I was a child
I have always found it
thrilling and cathartic
to walk through puddles
and to watch streams
of rain water disappearing
down metals drains.

There is so much poetry to see
when you walk across
a wet pasture of grass
or when you walk through
a cathedral of tall green trees,
because you get to experience
and to immerse yourself in nature
at it’s most fertile
and at it’s most lush…
there is so much art to be found
when putting one foot in front of the other,
while making contact with the ground –
whether it is within the resplendent
colours of a flower dappled
with glistening rain droplets,
or accidentally when a droplet of oil
from a car engine falls onto the road
and explodes into a rainbow.

I know that getting wet
for seemingly no reason
isn’t for everybody –
but to me walking, seeing, listening,
and learning about the world
and the way that everybody
is connected to everything
and how everything is connected
to everybody is just as
essential as breathing;
and no matter where I am,
or whatever I am doing,
the poetic heart beating within me
will always see and feel
time after time how amazing
it is to welcome both
the shining rays of the sun
as well as the return of the rain –
as long as the price to be paid
from them does not result
in the rising of pools
of sadness and pain
from the deluge of thoughts
and emotions within our brain.