Poetry

Too Close To The Sun – republished

Mark Hastings books, Poetry, Short-story , , , , , , , , , ,

My short-story and poetry collection ‘Too Close To The Sun’ is once again available to buy from Amazon in its new hardcover edition – but now with a brand new cover, and including a never before published short-story called ‘Nora’.

The stories and poems within ‘Too Close To The Sun’ represent a shift, as well as an experimentation phase, in my journey as a writer and an author. When it was first published in 2016, I knew that ‘Too Close to the Sun’, was somewhat of a new beginning and a new direction for me – and the stories and poems within are symbolic of what kind of writer and storyteller I have grown to become, and what kind of stories I am interested in telling.

“A sad story about the end of the line for a lonely ghost girl. The thrilling tale about the devilish gift of a psychic psychopathic psychotherapist. A word of warning about the wicked “Witch in The Well”. A ray of hope in form of a story about a New York City bartender who discovers that there is more to life, and to death, than they could ever have imagined. A vision of another universe where a vengeful Vampire King finds love, but who must also embrace his fate. The tale of a dragon and a hero – who both discover they are not who they think they are.

Short-stories and poems of strange, magical, and extraordinary other realities that exist on the other side of doors that lead to other worlds and possibilities that can be found when you venture too close to the sun.”

Get your copy of the brand new hardback version of ‘Too Close To The Sun’ on Amazon now! 😎

The Dreamer and The Dream – republished

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

My fourth book, and my fourth poetry collection, ‘The Dreamer and The Dream’, is once again available to buy from Amazon in its new hardcover edition.

Originally published in 2015, my book ‘The Dreamer and The Dream’, contains some of my favourite poems that I have written – poems that tell you so much about what matters to me on a personal level, what drives me every day, why I am a poet, and also allowing me to express my feelings for those who mean the most to me, and who inspire me every second of every day.

‘The Dreamer and The Dream’, and its poems within, is the book, and the poetry of mine, that I have shared with more people than all others, because there is so much to discover about me within, as well as so much that I wanted to say. It’s also the book that, when I wrote and I published the poems within, made me realise who I was and who I always wanted to be: a poetry, a writer, not to mention a storyteller.

Get your copy of ‘The Dreamer and The Dream’ from Amazon now and here! 😊

The Eternal Boy – republished

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

Get your copy of the republished version (hardcover version) of my third book, and my third poetry collection, ‘The Eternal Boy’, which was originally published in 2015.

‘The Eternal Boy’ symbolises another step upon my journey as a poet, as a writer, and as an author – as well as me attempting to capture the change and the evolution in myself that I felt I was going through at the time, and also my exploration of some of the many states that we all sometimes have to live through at different and varied stages in our lives.

There are poems within ‘The Eternal Boy’ that I think about all the time, and which I think perfectly capture who I am and who I always want to be.

Get the new hardcover version of ‘The Eternal Boy’ here!

-Mark

My Poem “Into it”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 
We all know what it is like
to be “into something”,
or to be “into someone”…
we all know what it is like
to spend most of the hours when we are awake,
and to spend many of the hours when we are asleep,
thinking about, imagining, and wanting to return
to a place, to a time, and to a person
as soon as possible…
we all know what it is like
to be “into the idea” and “into the groove”
of something that gives us a sense of purpose,
direction, and a feeling that we are not
just going through the same process of life
as we have been through before
but we are doing what is right
and what is meaningful to us…
we all know what it is like
to be into a game that is playing out before us,
which we feel like we are in a position
to have an impact upon the outcome of,
in which the meeting of multiple parties
who have been called to engage with one another
in a contest that will determine whether
or not the road of fate has chosen them
for a reason that cannot be known
until the time is right…
we all know what is it like to be drawn into a story -
to be spellbound and speechless as we read,
or as we listen, to a tale being told to us -
that has a power to it that goes beyond
the words being used, as well as above,
and below, the world around us that we know…
we know it is like to be into a headspace
within which we find ourselves connecting
with something that resonates with us,
something that speaks to us,
something that teaches us,
something that makes sense
of what we have been thinking about and feeling
without knowing that there are always
messengers to deliver answers to us,
that change the way we look at ourselves…
we all know what it is like to be engrossed,
to be intoxicated, and to be addicted to something
that we didn’t know would become so
impactful and important to us…
we all know what it is like to feel lost,
and we all know what it is like to feel found -
which is why when we feel as if
we have become caught in stream
of energy and emotion that is not
just a result of our own thoughts and actions
but a mixture and a mindset
of something else that is different from us,
but connected to us,
we can find ourselves within something so deeply
that it is always hard to get out of it,
because of how much we are into it.

My Poem “The Fall of Autumn”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 
No season shows just how much things can change,
but also repeat, better than Autumn -
when the leaves of the trees change colour
and then detach from the branches
they have been clinging to,
and then spiral to the ground…
no season shows the true depths
of colour and light than the season
when pumpkins are harvested for Halloween
and “trick or treaters” of all ages
collect offerings of candy
as they venture around their neighbourhood…
no season shows what nature is capable of
like the days of the months
when every type of weather
can be witnessed and people
have to expect the unexpected…
no season shows just how much
magic there is to be found around the world,
as well as in universe,
than the nights when you can look up
and witness the spectacle of an aurora,
the close proximity of a comet as it races by,
a Full Moon in the sky,
or the sight of the constellations
whose stars appear to shine
brighter than they might seem to be
at any other time of the year
for all those who are celestially fascinated…
no season shows so many of the things
we all need in this life, but which
we all might sometimes take for granted -
which is why it is always important
to be thankful for what we have in our lives
and for those who we love…
no season shows us how much we have
in common with each other,
and how much we are capable of
understanding one another,
than the season when we all find ourselves
under the umbrella of what falls upon us 
and what we choose to not be afraid of,
because we have faith that after a period
of time and transition we will be ready to face
what the future holds -
and there is no season to be enthralled by everything that is going on around us
than at the time of the fall of Autumn.

My Poem “Sounds and Voices”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 
There are some sounds
and there are some voices
that for some reason
always stand out
above all others…
there are some sounds
and there are some voices that,
when we hear them,
are immediately able to transport us
within our minds to a particular place
and to a particular time…
there are some sounds
and there are some voices
that are like music to our ears,
because we can hear within
some sounds and some voices
something akin to magic -
because what we hear
can make us feel something
that we might not have felt before,
or remind us of what we once felt
at a point in our lives that seems
a long time ago, and far away from
where we now finds ourselves…
there are some sounds
and there are some voices
that are so unique and so timeless
that any imitation of them
could never hope to capture
why some sounds and some voices
will resonate in the same way 
that they always will.

Composers have their own way of composing…
musicians have their preferred instrument
and their favourite style of playing…
singers have their own way of singing…
actors have their own method
when they are acting…
artists have their own process
when they are creating…
writers have their own reasons
why they write what they write,
as well as when and where they write -
and most of the time their ideas about
what they write about
seem to come to them
as if from out of nowhere,
as well as being a combination of
both the familiar and the new,
as if being repeated, remixed,
and remade from a different point of view.

Some sounds and some voices
stay with us all our lives…
some sounds and some voices never change,
even as we grow older…
some sounds and some voices
last longer than others
because they have something about them
that says more about their source
that can be definitively described…
some sounds and some voices
we return to time and again
because they fill us with joy,
happiness, hope, echoes of memories,
love, and experiences,
as well as recollections
of times of sadness, loss, grief,
and wishes that we could
return to somewhere,
to once again be with someone,
because we would give anything
to have more time to say
what we wish we had said
when we had the time to say it,
because there are some sounds
and there are some voices
that we could never forget.

I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse – September 10, 2024

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

Hi, everyone!

So, I have another book coming out on September 10th, 2024, called “I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse”.

This book and its story has been in the works for almost 10 years – in fact, this story, at least Chapter One, was the first short story I ever wrote. So, why did it take me almost 10 years to finish it? Well, because I thought I had finished it. However, after I returned to this story and its characters, I was compelled to follow the story to a new conclusion and destination that I had not anticipated before.

I will most likely go into further detail closer to the publication date as to what I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse is about – but, for now, I wanted to share my new book’s synopsis and the link to where you can pre-order your copy of the ebook from Amazon.

Both the paperback and hardback versions will be available to order on September 10, 2024 – so watch this space for links to where you can purchase my book physically on Amazon in the coming weeks.

Synopsis:

“The story of two best friends and soulmates, whose love for one another is tested to its limits, and whose one of a kind connection ultimately takes them both on a journey to somewhere beyond the horizon. However, nothing and no one can stop them both from fulfilling their life-long promise to one another: to meet each other at The Lighthouse.”

Pre-order your copy of the ebook version of I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse here: https://amzn.eu/d/05vxwyBB

-Mark

The Pathfinder: Someone To Talk To

Mark Hastings books, Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode, Mark recites his poem “Someone To Talk To” from his 2024 poetry collection ‘The Pathfinder’ – which is now available to buy in paperback and as an ebook from Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/aXnSwxa and you can check out more of Mark’s poems at http://MarkThePoet.Me

My Poem “The Lock of Our Lost Love”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 
A long time ago,
I put a padlock with our names on it
onto a bridge next to countless others,
and after I attached our lock -
the lock that, to me, at the time,
signified our unending love for one another -
I threw the key to our lock
into the water of the river below;
and I never foresaw that I would
ever regret doing what I did -
however, now, I have to say, I do,
because what we once had is no more,
and whenever I think of that lock
it makes me feel sad,
because our love, as it turns out,
was a lie from beginning to end -
because we were once lovers,
but now we are not even friends.

I wish I could find that lock -
the one that I put on that bridge
all those years ago -
and break it, just as my heart was broken,
because it now symbolises
how foolish I was to have allowed
myself to fall for you
and to believe your lies...
I wish I still remembered what
the key to that lock looked like -
because, maybe if I did, I would
choose to dive to the bottom
of that river and retrieve it
so that I could use it
to unlock that which now feels meaningless;
however, there are most likely
many other keys to be found
in the water underneath the bridge -
so my chances of finding the right key
for the right lock are slim, at best,
but I think it would be worth a shot.

Maybe I should just try
and forget about what once was - us -
and that which once meant so much;
but the truth is that moving on
is harder than it sounds,
especially when you still have
a head full of memories
and shared experiences,
and somewhere in the world
there still remains things
that were placed somewhere in particular
with the intention that they stay
where they are forever,
even though you wish you could
remove them and throw them away -
things like carved initials in an oak tree,
graffiti on a wall,
dedications within books,
or names written upon a lock
that will continue to be
a source of pain whenever
you think of them, or see them,
because they make you remember 
what you once had with someone
and that one day when
all that used to mean everything
suddenly came to a stop
and then became lost.

The Pathfinder: X

Mark Hastings books, Podcast, Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode, Mark recites his poem “X” from his 2024 poetry collection ‘The Pathfinder’ – which is now available to buy in paperback and as an ebook from Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/aXnSwxa and you can check out more of Mark’s poems at http://MarkThePoet.Me