Where would we be without language?
Where would we be without a way to communicate
and share what we want to say?
Where would we be without the ability
to express ourselves?
Where would we be without the means
to learn, to interpret, to understand,
to create, to make, to give something,
or someone, a voice to be heard?
The first word spoken by someone
is always a magical moment worth remembering…
the first time the sound that someone makes
can be understood by someone else
is always wonderful to behold…
the first instance that someone achieves something
is always worth celebrating and recording…
the first thing that someone thinks about
and reaches for after they awaken
speaks volumes about what matters to them
and what they treasure as preciously as gold.
Some people love to meet and talk to new people,
because it gives them an opportunity
to engage with someone on a personal level,
and also to make a connection
that they always feel empowered by…
some people find it hard to speak and to be heard,
because for some reason something within them
always tells them to stay quiet
and not call too much attention to themselves -
while those on the opposite end of the spectrum
are always looking for an opportunity
to get their point across
and to get their own way of thinking
and doing things recognized by others as
the most valuable and important.
Everybody always has someone
who they respect and return to
and could listen to whatever they said
for hours on end because they are such
an amazing and entrancing source of knowledge,
information, energy, and joy -
but who would never admit to being
amongst the wisest of individuals in the world…
some people are generally interested in all aspects
and in all the multiple colours and shades of life -
while some people only really care about
what they think is relevant;
some people are generous in so many ways
and they like to give others exactly
what they can see that they need,
including: their time, their attention,
as well as the space to make the first move
in confiding a long and deeply held truth -
while there are those people who are unwilling to
accommodate the other side of a story
and will not give up on their own narrative
and opinion of something even after being presented with facts and evidence to the contrary;
however, there are always those people
who always like to be the centre of attention -
who not only have to have the first word in every conversation,
but also the last word as well.
relationships
The Storyteller: The Music of The Midnight
“The Music of The Midnight” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
My Poem “All my life/All my loves”
All my life I have known the gift of love…
all my life I have believed in,
and I have felt the power of,
the connection that can be shared
between two people who were always meant to meet…
all my life I have known the beauty of angels…
all my life I have believed that things happen
because they are meant to happen…
all my life I have been surprised
at how quickly my heart can be captured
by the way that someone who I have never met before
can take my breath away and make me feel
as if I have found my partner in crime
and the one who would always love me
just as much as I loved them,
from the moment of first sight…
all my life every relationship that I have had
has been a rollercoaster of feelings and emotions,
and there have been times when I would have done
absolutely anything for someone
in particular if they asked…
all my life I have trusted my instincts -
and most of the time my instincts
have been proven right,
but what I didn’t realise when I was younger
was that everything and everyone has their limits…
all my life I have always wanted
everything to work out for the best for me
and for those closest to me…
all my life the word “love” has been weaponised against me,
as it has been whispered into my ear,
and it has always found a way
to overcome all my emotional defences…
all my life I have never taken my love for someone for granted -
however, I have watched others suffer
as a result of being used, lied to,
and cheated upon by those who
are capable of saying one thing
but doing the complete opposite…
all my life - and despite my own experiences
with those people who are not how they
portray themselves to those who don’t really know them like I was able to -
I have never doubted that I would always be in love
with someone, with something, with somewhere,
because I have always been an optimist,
a romantic, and a poet at heart…
all my life I have allowed myself to be fooled
into believing that something can last forever -
which I don’t think is a bad thing,
because I do believe that there are rare cases
when two souls are destined to be together
and are always going to be a part of
one another even after death…
all my life the world has always made more sense to me
when I knew that I was not alone
and that someone wanted me to succeed
more than they wanted the same for themselves…
all my life I have been trying to be the best I can be,
but I have discovered that doing your best
is not always enough to get you
to where and to what you really want to be -
because everyone’s life is not only
defined by their actions,
but also by the actions of others;
however, I believe that if I were to be defined
in some way, by something, or by someone,
then the best way would be
to go back over the course of my life
and see, hear, feel, read, and understand
how much I have done
for all those who I have ever loved.
The Storyteller: Divergence
“Divergence” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
My Poem “The Great Gift Giver”
I must admit, I have always been someone
who loves to give gifts…
whether it is someone’s birthday,
Valentine’s Day, or Christmas,
I pride myself on my ability to be able
to pick the right gift for the right person -
and I have had numerous comments
and compliments over the years
at how good I am at being able to imagine,
and eventually find,
the perfect present for someone in particular…
it isn’t always easy, and it’s not always simple -
but if I know someone, and I am already familiar
with their likes and dislikes,
then I know for a fact that I can come up with
something for them that they will like, love,
appreciate, and be something that will make use of,
perhaps cherish the memory of,
and always remember who gave it to them.
Of course, not all gifts that I have brought for some people
have been appreciated as much I hoped they would -
but that doesn’t matter to me,
because I can always say
with my hand on my heart
that I took great time, effort, and pleasure
in thinking about someone
and being drawn to buy something for them
that I knew they were meant to have,
for whatever reason…
I just have this eye for detail and this instinct
for what something represents,
and what it will mean to someone else -
but, even if someone does not initially seem
impressed by what I got them,
I always keep in mind that,
when it comes to buying presents for people,
it truly is the thought that you put into
purchasing or making something for someone
that is what really counts.
Time is the most precious thing in the world -
which is why what, and whom, you spend time with,
as well as what, and whom,
you spend your time thinking about,
should matter to each and every one of us -
and that is why we should all try not to waste
a second on someone who doesn’t appreciate
spending time with us,
nor what we do and have done for them…
I like other people’s birthdays more than my own
for the same reason I have always been a lover of Christmas,
because during the festive period
I get to show how much I appreciate people -
especially members of my family -
and present them with things from me
that I selected especially for them
because I knew what I bought would
resonate with them on a personal level…
I am sure other people spend more than me,
I am sure other people buy more lavish
and outlandish gifts for those whom they know -
but I challenge anyone to a contest
of making a connection with someone
and finding the best gift for them,
time and time again, and for every occasion,
because I know I would win every time.
Why? Because I have been told many times that,
among all my other talents,
I am, and I have always been,
a great gift giver.
My Poem “Remake”
Usually, I am not a fan of redoing
something that has already been done…
typically, I do not like the thought of
attempting to capture something again
that has already been defined…
I have repeatedly stated that
the original of anything is always superior
to the sequel of something,
or any instance at trying to reinvent
what worked and why from the start…
however, as time has gone by,
as things have happened,
as I have witnessed numerous beginnings,
endings, rebirths, and renewals –
both literal and metaphorical –
I have become convinced that
there is a reason why we, sometimes, need
“to go back to the well”, so to speak,
and see what we can make
of what remains of what was.
Someone once said:
“Destruction is a form of creation” –
meaning: the act of destroying something
is also the act of creating something in its place…
I am not someone who likes to destroy anything,
and I never enjoy watching someone’s life
fall to pieces around them
because of the mistakes that they may have made…
I believe that no one has a right to judge
anything or anyone until you find out
more about them and why they are
who and what they are,
and who and what helped to make them a certain way…
I never thought I would see the day
when something that I created
was destroyed and came to an end –
love, art, relationships, partnerships –
but no one can ever truly imagine something
happening before it happens.
All things end – even the things that feel
as if there is no way they could ever
stop being what they have always been,
and would always be forever…
nothing can remain the same –
people, places, even things can change over time,
and sometimes some things can be destroyed
before your very eyes and you can’t do anything to stop it,
and you could not have done anything to prevent it…
stars, planets, civilisations, people, stories,
go through a period of life, death,
and then, eventually, they find themselves
in a state, in place, at a time that they could
never have foreseen themselves in before
they arrived and became aware that
the end of something is not what people think it is –
because, most of the time, there is an opportunity
to start over again with the same mindset as before,
perhaps with the same method –
but slightly, or substantially, different than before…
even the most hardened and stoic of people
would give anything to be able to go back
and revisit a time from their lives
when things were the best that they have ever been,
because, as time goes by, even the best of things
can deteriorate into the worst of things –
but we can only return to somewhere in the past
very briefly and not as substantially as we would hope to,
and in such a way to change things
that we wish we could do-over.
However, sometimes, if we care about something,
or if we can’t let go of the feelings that we have
which are associated with someone in particular –
so deeply and so profoundly –
then we might all choose the route of resurrection
to bring something, or someone, back to life –
but, in doing so, we might have to face to fact
that when something, or someone, returns
they might somehow be a different version of themselves
than they used to be,
because they have been reborn, revived, rekindled,
reinvented, rewritten, recreated, and remade.
My Poem “Adios”
It could be argued that there is
no good way to say goodbye,
which is why some people
choose to never say goodbye -
but goodbyes are a natural aspect of life,
because everything one day comes to an end…
sometimes when you think you have said
your last goodbye to someone or to something,
because you think you will never see them again,
you ultimately find yourself somewhere
that you unexpectedly cross paths with
a person or a thing that you had
lost contact with a long time ago -
but, most of the time, moments
of reunion are brief and temporary for a reason…
the passage of time changes how people see one another,
and over time some people grow farther and father apart -
until, one day, two people who used to be
as close as could be turn into
becoming strangers to each other,
and the cracks that divide them deepen…
it can be something as big
and as hurtful as an affair,
or as small, but just as impactful,
as a look in someone’s eye,
or the fact that two people
can no longer communicate with one another,
that can bring a relationship to a point
when enough is enough
and both parties agree that
what they once had is over -
and perhaps had been for some time…
there are many things that can
put a strain on any relationship -
finances, security, or something else
that can be harder to define;
however, when trust has been lost by two people
there is no going back
and there is no hope of finding a solution
for the problem that has been found
which has slowly led to things becoming worse
and irreversible for many reasons…
knowing when to say goodbye is not easy,
nor can you ever predict when it will be necessary
for you to try leave someone behind;
but there does come a time
when the best time to do what must be done
is somewhat decided for you
and waiting for you to embrace it
and do with it what you will without any fuss…
I have never liked saying goodbye,
but the older I get the more I feel
that some people take other people
more and more for granted
and so naturally that the phrase “I’m sorry”
is no longer a part of their vocabulary -
so, when that happens, my advice is
not to fight the inevitable,
and politely say “thank you for your time”
before saying a silent “adios”.
‘I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse’ By Mark Hastings – Chapter Four: The Beacon
‘I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse’ , Chapter Four – “The Beacon”: 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.
‘I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse’ By Mark Hastings – Chapter Two: Life Moves On
‘I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse’, Chapter Two: “Life Moves On”: 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.
My Poem “Writer’s Blood”
There are always things
that we want to talk about...
there are always things
that we want to keep to ourselves...
there are always fragments
of the past that return
and then are gone again
in the snap of a finger...
there are always people
who you want to forget about
but who come to mind
whenever we are alone
and wondering about life.
Within every moment of time
we all experience something
different and personal...
within every relationship
we all experience things that are both
wonderful and yet temporary...
within every day of our lives
we all learn from what came before -
even though we are still capable
of repeating the same mistakes of the past...
within every voice that we hear,
within every gaze that we share,
within every touch that we feel,
we all experience a transference
of understanding that may
take some time to fully
integrate itself into our psyche.
So much of life is remembered,
so much of life is forgotten...
only so much of who people are,
who people were,
can be captured physically
by using words and art -
because other people always want
to add their own ideas
of what made something
and what made someone
what they were...
so much of the world
has been remade
by humanity and by Earth itself
that there is no longer
an accurate representation
of what and how things used to be...
only so much can be retained -
but that is the sort of challenge
an artist lives for:
to make something
captured by their senses
endure long into the future,
to make something
that people genuinely love...
everything that we all live through
leaves a trace of itself -
just as everyone and everything
that once served as a source of inspiration
lives on within a writer's blood.
Mark The Poet 