Ever since I was young,
capturing moments of time
with a camera has been important
to me and to my family -
especially to my amazing Dad:
who used to record home movies
of us when we used to go on family holidays
to Orlando, Florida,
in the United States of America...
when I was a boy,
my Dad used to take photos of us
whenever we would go somewhere together -
because to my Dad photographs
were like memories,
and because my Dad loved his family
and he loved sharing his life
with his adoring wife and his children
whenever he would look back upon
the joyous instances that he had captured
you could see in his eyes
what every second with us
meant to him.
Children grow up so fast...
families change,
especially when things happen
that are out of their control...
no matter how old someone is
everybody always daydreams of the past...
as we all move from place to place,
and as we all meet new people,
we all adapt and to wherever we are
and we all find ourselves
undertaking new roles -
and there are always things
that we hold on to
which always gives us a jolt of nostalgia
every time we hold them again:
perhaps something that we had
forgotten about that feels like
the piece of a puzzle
which reminds us of something
that once meant the world to us.
Family photos are both wonderful -
and yet bittersweet reminders
of who we were, where we were,
and with whom, once upon a time,
when things were different...
memorable songs are great to hear again -
but whenever you hear a certain song
playing somewhere, at some time,
everybody always has an emotional reaction,
and sometimes a particular song
can make you think of someone
you have lost but also someone
whose soul still feels close enough to touch.
The stories of things and people
often times outlast and endure
beyond those who they are about,
because everybody loves to be entertained
by the exploits and the adventures
of someone whose memory
and spirit is indelible
and sometimes tangible -
and there are times when
the image of something or someone
can say even more than
a thousand words about them could,
especially when someone who
is a natural storyteller shows
what and who meant the most to them
through whom they chose
to record and to remember
whenever they picked up a camera
and captured in every second
of their home movies.
record
My Poem ‘For the record’
Like the Earth orbiting the sun;
like the solar system
spinning around the core of the galaxy;
like the sounds that can be heard
while listening to the noise
of the interstellar background;
like the racing heart beat
of somebody out on a run;
like the natural soundtrack of life
that you can hear and feel
which you can imagine with great detail
without needing to see it;
like the sound of waves crashing on a beach;
when you listen to the music
that sings to your soul
and inhabits your heart
that has been recorded
in the most exquisite quality possible –
in memory, on CD, on vinyl,
the spirit of the music, the artist,
the magic and the depth of the human mind
and body gives you back every time
something you wait with anticipation
to be found so that it may
again and again resound
and make you feel as if
your feet have left the ground.
People love music;
music is so adored and worshiped
it is like a religion;
music can inspire people to be
and to do anything:
to be brave, to be thoughtful,
to be artistic, to be prolific;
everyone knows what their favourite song
or piece of music is,
and everybody has a personal
and a profound reason for why
their song is their song.
Music has been a part of our lives
since we were born;
albums and artists have been talking to us
and taking us to our dreams
since we heard our first old-favourite;
music is at the centre of our universe
that rotates just as fast
as the grooves of a vinyl album on a turntable;
listening to music is always a blessing,
and never a chore;
there is so much music that has been created
that is epic and great;
music is a gateway to an astoundingly-beautiful
and magical world.
Music is the eternal and universal love
that everybody and anybody can enjoy
and be blessed with their entire lives;
music is what we all share
an invisible connection to
and are attached to every second
by an unbreakable umbilical-cord;
music is the abundant source of energy
that makes life what it is,
just as much as the sun’s light;
music is the single most important,
meaningful and memorable thing
that the human race will be remembered for
by future generations and fellow space-travelers –
and all we do will live on forever
as our greatest monument of ourselves
for the record.
Mark The Poet 