Poetry

My Poem “For Bake’s Sake”

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

Because of the current circumstances
that we all find ourselves within
so many people have been forced
to stay at home, to stay indoors,
and to stay away from
close friends and family members –
and, as a result, there has been
an increase in the necessity for
Internet bandwidth so that people
who are at home 24/7 can continue
to remain in contact with
the rest of the world,
so that they can continue
to be entertained
by all the content that the various
streaming services have to offer,
and so that people can continue to
engage with rest of the world
via all the forms and all the sites of
social media and social interaction
while the majority of the planet
continue to practice physical
social distancing between one another,
and there seems to be no more
popular activity than people
daily posting pictures, videos,
and even live streams of what they are doing,
what they are making,
and what they are baking behind closed doors
while they wait out the time of being
locked down from the outside world
which continues to progress at
the only pace that it is capable of taking.

We all have to do something
to pass the time when we are being
asked to do as little as possible,
to leave the house as sparingly as possible,
and to not interact with anyone
anywhere other than with those
who live under the same roof as we do –
and some people have chosen to
become home bakers, artists,
social media streamers,
book readers, television
and movie watchers,
and they have chosen to share
what they are doing with their
time of isolation more so
than they would if they were able
to leave their homes if
and when they wanted to.

Time goes by so slowly
when you have to look
for things to do
to distract you from the situation
that you find yourself in –
especially when you and everyone
you know is attempting to live
under a shield of quarantine
in an attempt to protect the lives
of their family members
and the world at large –
and which is why the allure
of making things and using your time
to create something and to share
the process and the end result
of doing something worthwhile
is what so many homebound people
have chosen to gravitate towards
and will no doubt continue to do:
because if this troubling time
is reminding all of us of anything
more profoundly that usual
is that time is precious, life is short,
and our human societies are fragile –
and that is why I think what people
are doing to pass the time while
they at home is important,
and whether watching, writing, reading,
making, or baking, what people are doing
is for all our sake and not just
baking for baking’s sake.

My Poem “Sacrifice”

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

These are crazy times…
these are the days that we hoped would never come…
these are the times when people are
acting on their survival instincts… these are the days that we will hopefully
one day look back upon and marvel at
humanity’s collective ability
and each of our own individual capacity
to do all that we feel like we need to do
when faced with a crisis that we cannot control
but which we can play our part in finding
a way through the thick fog
of what we do not understand.

Each of us recognise that the time
we are living through now
most of the time feels like a struggle…
each of us know that feeling of distress,
of disappointment, of depression
that rears its ugly head and rises
to the surface of our minds
when we are hindered from doing
what we want to do, going where
we want to go, being with who
we want to be with –
there are people staring out their windows within the safety of their home,
there are doctors, nurses, patient care techs
who are working long shifts in hospitals
who wish that they did not have to be so far away from their loved ones,
but who are all choosing to do
what they feel they need to do
to beat the threat that feels like
it has engulfed the world
and which is praying on people
young and old from every walk of life.

As Winston Churchill once said:
“This is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning” –
and it is this quote that has been
carrying me through these times,
and I am sure that these words
I will continue to repeat to myself
as the chaotic times of our present predicament
continue to change and ask of us
to be strong, to be safe, to be mindful,
and to be the best version of ourselves
and to not choose to give in to fear
and to the dark side of human nature
that some people dwell upon
and act upon because they cannot help themselves…
the human race will survive
what we are all going through…
the human race has had to deal with
and live through atrocities
of our own making because of human action
or inaction before and we will one day
get the chance to reflect upon these times, these days, this real-life nightmare
and find a way to live with our own sacrifice.

My Poem “Emptiness”

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

Empty streets… empty buildings…
locked doors… isolated people…
fear and stress lingers in the air.
Why is this happening?
What is the reason for this
cursed pandemonia?
The entire world is trying
to keep its spirits up
while attempting to stay inside
and weather the storm of panic,
death, and uncertainty that has
gripped almost all of the countries
of the world.

Why? Why? Why? Why?
Why has this happened?
Why was this allowed to happen?
The people of the world have been
brought to their knees by an invisible enemy
that everybody is at war with
and is looking for any way possible
to find a cure for this rampant disease.

I am like so many others:
I am trying to keep smiling,
I am trying to stay calm,
I am trying to carry on the best that I can,
I am trying to stay hopeful –
but then I turn on the television
and I am reminded about
just how many people
this world has lost,
just how bad this deadly pandemic
that we are facing is,
and sometimes I find it hard
to find the words and the strength of composure
that I usually wear wherever I go.

There is nowhere to go…
there is nothing to do…
there is only silence,
there is only a void of space
where things used to be,
there is only this feeling of…
there is only this feeling of…
of… of… of… of emptiness
that I hope and pray
will soon come to an end.

My Poem “The Defiant”

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

Small things can become big things,
big things can become small things…
the invisible can sometimes be
more influential than the tangible…
some of the things with the most power
to sway the actions and the intentions
of a wider society of people
are those that do not have a face to look to,
are those that do not have a voice to hear
other than that of what they are
capable of meterializing
as a result of the wake that they
are able to generate.

Small things – like atoms, microbes, even whispers –
can exist and can be found thriving for
varying periods of time
around every living thing
and in the time that they can do
what they can do they attempt
to invade and to override the defenses
of those trying to stay alive
in many places around the world.

Big things – like life, stars, galaxies, the universe –
all once began smaller that eye of a needle
and yet when given the right environment
to grow some things are capable
of accomplishing infinitely complex,
incredible, unimaginable,
astounding and astonishing actions
that at times defy expectations
and clear explanations.

At this moment people all around the world
are being asked to live in bubbles
of physical solitude
while still connected to a greater bubble
of reality that encompasses all the other
varying bubbles of life that people
have had to adapt to and to adjust to living within –
because we are all a part of a world,
because we are all a part of a species,
because we are all a part of a family,
because we are all a part of a consciousness
that will not allow itself to be beaten
by the small, or by the big,
and we will defend ourselves in every way that we can –
socially, hermetically, and responsibly –
because though Earth and humanity
may be small in comparison to
the infinite vastness of the universe
we are a planet that has always been
and will continue to be one
of survivors who will live on,
because everything and everybody is,
always has been, and will continue to be,
unequivocally and unapologetically defiant
through all that we have to face.

My Poem “Contactless”

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

We are currently living
in an increasing contactless world…
we are currently being forced
to keep at a distance away from
our family members, our friends,
our places of work, our purpose,
and we are being told that we may
all have to adjust to living in
this new and contactless life –
at least in a physical way of speaking –
for the foreseeable future…
we are all now living in a world
and at a time when seeing people
walking around wearing face-masks,
plastic gloves, and while consistently
administering hand-sanitizer
to themselves is an every-day thing…
we are all now living in the here
and in the now of having to
become sedentary individuals
who cannot congregate and be seen
to be socializing in public…
we are all now living, breathing,
and having to force ourselves
into the realization that what we used
to take for granted so much –
our own individual freedom
to be able to choose our own actions
and our own destinations –
has been temporarily impaired and curtailed
and the governments of our particular countries
are calling all the shots and telling us
what we need to be doing in order
to maintain some kind of wellbeing
for the people of the present
as well as those yet to be born…
we may all need to self-isolate
ourselves physically,
but that does not mean that we need
to self-isolate ourselves
from the rest of the world –
in fact, I would say that it is more
vital and necessary than ever
to stay connected to our network
of family, friends, and acquaintances
who live around the globe who
know exactly what each and every one of us
are all going through
for each of our own personal mental health;
because if what we must refrain
from touching and showing
physical forms of affection
that does not mean that we have to be
anti-social and stay contactless
in every sense of the word.

My Poem “I Live In Hope”

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

At this very moment,
as I look outside my window,
all is quiet, all is still;
however, when I turn on my television,
it feels like the whole world
has been quarantined,
because so many people
have been stricken by an invisible contagion –
while those who have not yet been infected
are asking themselves if they,
or a member of their family,
will soon be forced into isolation
because they are the most likely
to be taken ill.

It is an unfortunate time of fear,
of single-mindedness, and of selfishness –
because some people are acting as if
the end of the world was on the horizon,
and though this newly discovered and fast-
spreading virus is definitely something
to be taken seriously,
I think that we should all be worrying
more about the most vulnerable
and the least immobile of the people
of the world rather than just bunkering
ourselves away and hoping that
people who can’t help themselves will be ok.

The Coronavirus, Covid-19,
has effected the entire world,
and so many countries and people
have been cut off from the rest of the world
until the worst of this world wide crisis
has passed;
however, the worst thing about all that is happening,
all that has happened, and the constantly
rising count of how many people
are now infected and how many people
have died as a result of the Coronavirus,
is that most of us are powerless
in our ability to effect the course of this crisis
and all that we can do is wash our hands,
be mindful of our own potential symptoms,
and to keep physical interactions
with other people at a minimum –
but I cannot help but think that all of this
could have been avoided if when
this new virus started to become more
prevalent and virulent
certain people had chosen to inform
everybody around the world
as to the severity of what was rising,
the potential of what was spreading,
and what should have been contained
at its initial source of detection.

I hope everybody is safe…
I hope the majority of people
will be well again soon
and they will be able the fight
their way through this new threat…
I hope that this disastrous new virus
can be stopped in its tracks
before even more people die
as a result of being infected by it…
I hope people continue to be mindful
of themselves and of the needs
of others who are the most at need…
I hope that the whole world can
come together, to be with one another
via all the means that we have they days
so that we can all help one another
to ride out the tumultuous waves of the day
and find a way through this troubling
time of isolation, of contraction,
to a place of eventual recovery,
that this time of pandemic pandemonium
has forced us all into…
as always, I live in hope.

My Poem “The Individual”

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

Some seasons are easier
to get through than others…
some periods in our lives
are easier to ride out than others…
some days are more eventful than others…
some people are more comfortable
being themselves when they feel
like they have nothing to prove,
no one to prove anything to,
and no one to be other than
a friend, or a brother,
or a sister, or a son, or a daughter,
or a lover, or just someone
who will listen to someone else
who needs nothing more than
to be heard, to be understood,
and to be given the opportunity
by another person to let
themselves breath and be seen
without any kind of a mask,
a façade, or a filter.

People love being free…
freedom means everything
to those who appreciate
and understand why being
free is such a gift,
because for some people
around the world freedom is not guaranteed…
being free to believe
what you want to believe,
being free to do what you want to do,
being free to say what you want to say
has been restricted in some parts
of the world because some people
have misused it, they have abused it,
and they have taken it for granted…
being given the opportunity
to be able to live, to breath,
to see, and to enjoy the natural gift
of infinite wonders that is our beautiful planet
is something that so many people
do not choose to recognise
until someone is awakened
to a particular vision that opens up
a door within them that leads
to a part of them that can grasp
what nature has been constantly
trying to tell them and show them.

Ignorance of something or someone
is one of the most important
components in spreading fear –
which is why ignorance and ignorant people
are usually the most uneducated of people
because they actively and deliberately
choose to switch off from what is happening
to other people and would rather
live in a bubble in which their version
of the world is all that matters.

We all live in one of the most
interconnected times in human history –
and yet there are still people
who choose to not see things
from another person’s just as valid
and perhaps opposing point of view
just in case they find out
that there is more common ground
than is believed possible,
which is why meeting people
who live completely different
lives from you is important in
gaining a more fuller world view
and to discover new and valid ideas
that they never knew…
there are always multiple sides
to an argument, to a story,
to a people, to a country –
and it is the responsibility
of all free thinking people
to be progressive enough,
to be evolved enough,
to be individualistic enough
to take everything as it comes to them and to strive to be uniquely themselves
instead of just being predictable
and never stopping to think, to do,
nor to be anything, or anybody,
other than one of a crowd.

My Poem “The World Book”

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

The layers of our world
are like the infinite pages
of a book of stories, secrets,
truths, colours, and characters
that is so vast and epic in scale
and in depth that if it were
not already a planet
it would need to be as big
as the Earth is in order
to capture and to understand
the mysterious, the thrilling,
the poetic, the dramatic,
the suspenseful,
the often unbelievable
and the unpredictable
world that we live in
and which we all have our own
opinion of concerning where it all began,
where we are, and where are collective
story will ultimately one day take us.

Most things in this world
have a system to them
that are as predictable
and occur as regular as clockwork;
however, because of several
outside influences,
some twists and turns in every journey
require everything and everyone
to adapt to what they find themselves facing
and become a chameleon of the times
that they find themselves living in.

Some things will always change,
some things will stay the same –
but no matter what anybody does
or doesn’t do
this world will keep turning
and creating new life,
because this world was once blessed
by the light of creation of our mutual sun
and the most important star
in our sky that has never
stopped shining down upon us.

This universe of galaxies, of stars,
of planets, of rock, of gases,
of matter, and of energy
that we do not yet fully understand
the behaviour of but we have,
of course, already given a name to,
is the beginning, it is life,
it is everything,
it is where things makes sense,
it is where we are still learning
every nuance and characteristic of
and the reason for its ultimate existence.

Everybody in this universe –
especially those of us here on Earth –
are a blessed and gifted storytellers,
even if they don’t already know they are,
and each with their own story and version
of reality to interpret and to convey;
because it is in the nature of everything,
in everybody, in every atom,
in every consciousness,
in every thought, in every instinct,
in every idea to be it’s best self,
but since we all mostly have a choice
in what direction we will choose to take
the path, the actions, and the outcome
of everyone’s life can only be uniquely theirs
and no one else’s –
which can be a source of confusion for some people;
however, when you really think about it,
life on any kind of scale is not meant
to be fully understood
but each of us naturally have our own
beliefs and thoughts about why things
are the way that they are,
why some things will always turn out
the way that they always have done,
and what is it about all the stories
ever told, retold, and reinterpreted
that just fits perfectly into the vast library,
that when seen from space
is spherical in appearance,
that has a name, “Earth”,
and which will eternally be
the title of the book that is our world.

My Poem “The Ambivert”

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

Everybody is a slightly different person
from one day to the next….
everybody occasionally experiences
days, minutes, moments
when they feel like they
want to be left alone
with their own thoughts,
feelings, memories, and emotions…
some people are more productive
and they excel at what they like to do
when they are left to focus
on what is right in front of them,
and there are some people who
like to work as part of a team
and explore a problem with
a collective mentality –
and then there are those who are like me:
who are neither exclusively an introvert
or an extrovert,
who like to dabble on both sides
of the line that sometimes differentiates
people and how they choose to behave
and express how they feel
as a result of what they may have heard,
what they think, or perhaps what they see.

Ambiverts, like me, enjoy living
both a life of peace, solace,
deep reflection, and occasional solitude,
as well as the experience
of getting out the house
and exploring the sometimes
challenging and chaotic places
where there is a mass of humanity
who are all more than likely
strangers to one another
but who all have so much
in common with each other –
among which being: the gift to be able
to comfortably be amongst
a metropolis of people
and not feel uneasy about
where they are, what might happen,
nor who they may interact with.

So many real world events have turned
so many extroverts into introverts
and so many introverts into extroverts –
especially those events that have had
such an impact that the effects from which
have reverberated all around the world…
there are very few people
in this modern world
who live a life removed from
the actions of others –
you would have to be a monk living out
a vow of isolation to not be influenced
by the noise of the technologically
obsessed nations of the world;
however, even someone whose life
is dedicated to a higher purpose
these days has also had to adapt
to the practice of connecting with people
in many forms of communication.

I like having my own time to think,
to remember, to write,
and to express myself through my art –
however, I do also gain
a great deal of inspiration
and insight about the world
from being around people,
from being amongst nature,
from being someone without
a specific thing to do,
and without there being a specific
place that I need to be,
at a specific time,
when I can be what comes
naturally to me: an ambivert.

My Poem “Train of Thought”

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

It’s never too late
to start doing something…
it’s never too late in the game
to change what you are already doing…
it’s never too late
to start behaving differently…
it’s never too late
to learn from your mistakes
and to make use of what you have learned –
because it is the act of being
transformed by what you may have seen,
felt, heard, and experienced
that is at the heart
of all forms of poetry.

There is no way to know everything,
there is no way to see everything,
there is no way to go everywhere –
but there is always a way and a time
to try your hand, to use your mind,
to feel with your heart
and with your soul at doing something
and give it all that you can,
if you are willing to live your life
as if by the roll of a dice
and choose to do as you dare.

It is in our nature as human beings
to want to learn and to explore…
it is an intrinsic motivation of many
to seek out, to share, to live,
and to implore others to follow
their lead and attempt to find
an outlet to drive the reasons
for all the choices that they make…
it is in all of our nature
to want what is best for ourselves
as well as for those around us
and to communicate our true intentions
to those who matter the most to us
before it is too late…
it is in the collective psyche
of humanity to want to be
free of judgement, anguish, and pain.

It is by following that voice,
that draw, that gravity, that call
that awakes us sometimes
in the middle of the night
that compels so many people
to make real and personify
their dreams in order to prove
to ourselves and the world
that though we may not all
think the same way all the time
we all have so much to gain
from occasionally switching lanes
in the way that we believe things are
and sometimes taking a chance
on a stream of consciousness
and stepping outside
of the frame of confinement
and by leaving the carriage
of the ordinary and the every
train of thought.