It is always better to look forwards,
it is always better to look up,
it is always better to be hopeful and optimistic –
especially when the world around you
has become different and messed up…
it’s always better to focus on
the things in life that are good;
however, as everybody knows, the unexpected
is just waiting around the corner –
which is why it is not a bad idea
to be prudent and to save something
for a day and a time when you
are going to need some things
more than others…
it’s always better to have a contingency
plan in place just in case
reality seemingly is turned upside down –
like some sort of life-raft
that can help you if and when
you metaphorically, psychologically,
or perhaps physically feel like
you are about to drown…
it’s always better to look on
the bright side of life –
but, at the same time, everybody
has to realise that most things
in life are temporary, precious,
and can unfortunately be taken away;
which is why there are so many people
who plan for what might happen next,
what will happen next,
and what they may one day leave behind…
it’s always good to have something in reserve…
it’s always good to not use
all of something too quickly
and to find a way to make
something last…
it’s always good to make sure that
you don’t go too far beyond
a place that are not familiar with,
because until you know more
about something anchoring yourself to somewhere can be like having a life-line…
that is why it is good, if you can,
to always have a back up plan.
Poetry
My Poem “The Helix Nebula”
Whenever I look at an image
of the beautiful Helix nebula –
an image captured of an region of space
within the constellation of Aquarius,
almost 695 light years from Earth –
I, like many others, not only see
a beautiful planetary nebula
that looks almost similar in appearance
to both the “Cat’s Eye Nebula” or the “Ring Nebula” –
but I also see what looks like some kind
of celestial eye looking back at me,
because the more that you look
at the Helix nebula the more that
you see an image like that of
the iris of an eye,
and which is most likely why
the Helix nebula’s colourful and vibrant
blue, green, gold, and red appearance
when seen through the filters
of the visual spectrum
is often referred to as the “Eye of God”:
because once you see it you never forget it.
My Poem “The Viking Way”
There are times when I look
at the face of someone
and for some reason I am
reminded of how the Vikings
have always been depicted to have looked
when they lived centuries ago –
when they were building their
impressive longboats
and when they were traversing
the oceans of the world –
at the same time they were raiding,
pillaging, as well as influencing
the early cultures of the European continent.
It was at the time that the Vikings
were worshiping the gods
of their Norse mythology –
such as Odin, Thor, and Loki –
that they were steaking their claim
to places which they discovered,
while also practicing a way of life
that stretched from telling stories,
to drinking mead, to perfecting
the art of the particular type of principles
that still define how their culture
is perceived and who they will continue
to be thought of to be.
I am sure that if some of the Vikings
who feature in so many of the
Scandinavian legends that have been
told and retold, over and over again,
were to learn that clear echoes
of their lineage live on
after a time that they might consider
resembled the prophecised “Ragnorok”,
or the “end of days” of their belief system,
then they would be happy –
because showing your attributes
and expressing your deeds so that
they are not forgotten is an example
of how some people used to live
a long time ago: when a certain
type of people used to live
the Viking way.
“There is so much
inspiration to be found
in a city like this,
by a poet like me,
every time I revisit.”
– Mark Hastings,
Birmingham,
National Poetry Day,
2020
My Poem “Visionary” – Happy National Poetry Day!
No matter what you see,
no matter how you feel,
no matter what you hear,
no matter what is going on
in the world around you,
no matter if the sky above
is cloudy instead of blue,
as long as you have within you
a vision and a view that you can
look to
every time you need to
to give your thoughts, your feelings,
and your emotions a boost –
whether what you look to is a place
like a beach or a city,
or whether who you look to a person
like someone who you love and who loves you:
that vision of hope, that may be a memory
from recently or from long ago,
that always has a power to enthrall,
to inspire, and to rejuvenate you
is the poetry of your mind and your soul
that has been brought into being
over the course of your life –
like a dream fueled by who and what
you imagine night after night –
which gives the gift of a voice
to everybody on Earth –
both old and young –
who have a story to be told
and a song to be heard
that continues, connects,
and contributes to epic experiment
of life and the poetic experience
that is the world within our universe.
Happy National Poetry Day! 😊
markthepoet.me 