As I look out of my window
at the blinding white light of the sun
shining upon the white clouds below me,
once again my imagination
becomes enlightened and enlivened
to such a degree that I could
almost make myself believe that I could
step off the jet plane that I am travelling in
and sit upon one of the wings -
because the experience of travelling
fast, and at a high altitude,
always makes the thoughts of
my already deep and overactive mind
feel so free that it is sometimes impossible
to not express the joy of being inspired
that has never stopped burning within me…
as I have journeyed through the world
and as I have experienced waking moments
of clarity, excitement, and fulfilment,
I have also experienced dreamlike
waves of creativity that are so powerful
and sometimes so intense that
it has been hard for me to keep
straight in my mind what is real
and what it fantasy -
because both states of being
sometimes feel familiar, indistinguishable,
and like one and the same.
Since childhood I have been able to see
and to recognise magical moments
whenever I have seen them,
when I have felt them,
and whenever I have heard them
within the melody of the lyrics of a song…
since I was a child I have never been able
to switch off the connection that I feel
to the world around me,
nor the instinct that I am capable
of communing with a higher form of consciousness -
including the one that I feel emanating from nature
every moment of every day -
as well as a more perceptive aspect
of my own personality which can
immediately clear any confusion
and potential fog of the mind.
I believe that my heart and my soul
are intertwined with the overriding
destiny of my life that influences me
and has been the reason
why I have done what I have done,
why I have been where I have been,
and why I have felt so many emotional
connections with so many people -
from which I have always found
love, affection, intimacy, and inspiration,
however sometimes only for instances
of time that the memory of them
soon became as incomprehensible
and as indiscernible as that of an echo…
everything that was always supposed
to happen has happened,
everything that was always supposed
to be written has been written,
everything that was always supposed
to have an end has ended,
and everything that has given me
so much for as long as I can remember
continues to be a constant in my life -
including those things and those presences
which have transformed into something more
ethereal, meaningful, interesting,
and sometimes too complicated
and too complex to describe
even by using the words used by those
who can see figures in the clouds
and the infinite potential and possibilities
of the universe that reverberate
like a silent voice amongst the dark dimensions
and distances that lie between the stars.
the universe
My Poem “All that has happened before”
Since the beginning of everything,
the universe has been remaking itself…
since the first flash of existence,
reality has been changing the definition
of what it is supposed to be…
since our version of the laws of nature
settled upon a seemingly stable form
and continued to do things in the same way,
a cycle of repetition has been what has become
the most important aspect in the process
making sure that nothing stops
and then starts running in reverse…
since the ignition of the engine of
the world in which we live within
began the series of mechanisms
that keep every single one of the worlds orbiting their stars,
as well as keep the stars of their individual galaxy
encircling the dark maelstrom of
the supermassive black hole at their centre,
nothing has been able to break free
of what was set in motion when
space, time, and all the elements of life
in all its varied forms was created by something powerful -
unlike us, but connected to us -
whose purpose was to make the most
of the moment that was needed
to bring order to chaos…
since the first eyes looked up
and gazed at the heavens above,
people have been asking: why?
Why are we here?
Why does what always happens have to happen?
Why allow us to question our existence
and to ask the ultimate question: why?
since everybody has their own
individual answer to the question
of how we got to where we find ourselves,
all each of us can do is remember
that things happen for a reason,
life is sometimes what it is
and what it was always supposed to be,
questions and the search for the truth
are what will keep people exploring
as they always have, forever;
but one thing is for certain -
and something that stories, myths, scripture,
and the picture of the cosmos that anyone
can see with their own eyes every night after dark:
all that has happened before
will happen again, and again -
because it is supposed to.
A Poem A Day #102: Those Distant Stars
My Poem “Zen”
For there to be white, there must and black... for there to be light, there must be dark... for there to yin there must be a yang... for there to be stars, heat, and life on any given planet, there must be the cold and hostile vaccum of space for the two opposing forces of nature - life and death - to have their way and test the limits and the extremes of their own potential... for good to prevail there must be evil to vanquish... for hope to win in the end there must be the shadow of doubt to sometimes struggle with... for the best of the best to be crowned there must be ups and downs from which lessons are learned which inspire others down the road who are on their own journey of self-discovery... for the entirety of this version of the universe there has existed both the beginning and the end, the start and the finish, the Go and the Stop, the found and the lost - but there are places where and when the interconnected consciousness of all living things communicates with one another consciously as well as unconsciously, that some have even reported to have visited and returned from feeling changed and brand new: nirvana, heaven, Eden, space, the frontier, the edge, high above the clouds or deep below the ocean - after which they can both perceive and understand forever that the balance that keeps the wheels of existence rolling as serenely as a sphere of energy spinning through space, that is both perfect and imperfect at the same time, would have to be one of the most wonderful symbols in existence that captures the true essence of what it means to be zen.
My Poem “Walk Free”
Beauty all around…
nature in full display…
the call of the wild…
as I stare at the blue sky,
the tall trees, the green fields,
I am once again inspired by everything
and by everyone who I meet
who have also chosen to take to the trail
and travel by using the strength
of their mind as well as their feet.
I feel like I know every blade of grass…
I feel like I recognise every leaf…
I feel like I have an emotional
connection to my path…
I never feel like I am walking alone –
because whenever and wherever I walk
I feel like I am walking alongside fellow
poets, artists, and philosophers
who have all shared at one time or another
a deep and a profound belief
that everything and everyone is inextricably linked.
There is more to what makes life
what it is than we could ever know…
there is more to the nature of the
universe
than anyone could ever accurately
conceive nor put into words…
there are things that we feel
deep inside of us that we do not show
until we are breathing in the fresh air
of nature, and who we are, who we were,
and who we will always be meet –
because there are times and there are places
when and where within our minds
we communicate with everything
and everyone around us in ways
that are engrained into our true nature,
like the rings of a tree –
which can be awakened at any time
that we choose to step outside and walk free.
My Poem “So much to love”
There is so much to love about life…
there is so much to love about nature…
there is so much to love about the side
of the world that is seen during the day
and there is so much to love
about the side of the universe
that only reveals itself during the night…
there is so much to love about
how people care for one another,
how people are drawn to one another,
and how people choose to show
their love and devotion of one another.
There is so much to love about
certain people in our lives
than we could ever put into words…
there is so much to love about
how some people help those
who cannot help themselves
that is something instinctive than anything
that over time could ever be learned…
there is so much more to love about
the intrinsic language of the seasons
than our human ears could ever possibly hear…
there is so much to love about
those people who sacrifice their own lives
in order to give others a reason not to fear.
There is so much to love about
the things that we may see every day
that we may sometimes take for granted…
there is so much to love about
the mementos of memories that we
have made and the rembrances of experiences
that we surround ourselves with
that are a permanent fragment
of time that cannot ever be repeated…
there is so much to love about
a moment of silence when you can
look within yourself and know that
what and who you have in your
life are more than enough.
We cannot always get what we want –
but during our lives we are given gifts
that always remind us that though life
can sometimes be tough we can all find
an example of something or someone
who has qualities about them that draw
us to them because there is something about them
that there is so much to love.
My Poem “We Have It All”
I am different…
you are different…
everybody is different –
and yet we are all the same,
which I think is absolutely amazing!
I am on a different path,
you are in a different lane –
and yet so many people
find themselves at the same
moment of crossroads
when and where there is a vital
transference of knowledge and energy,
which can feel electrifying!
I am experiencing what I see
and what I feel around me personally,
you are interpreting everything
like only you can –
and yet when there is the discovery
of a breakthrough of life-changing proportions
people from all around the world
can gather together and herald
the arrival of yet another game-changer
in how we all live our lives.
I have never stopped being
in awe of the power and the poetry
of the universe that we can see
and measure with our own eyes
and with some of the instruments
that we have invented;
however, I know that all the secrets of existence
may never be known –
which is fine by me,
because there is more to be gained
by investigating the source of a riddle
than the eventual reveal of a mystery.
I understand the draw to explore…
I agree that we need to colonize
other worlds in order to know
more about the diversity of life
throughout the universe of galaxies…
I do not dispute that there are
other planets with other civilizations
living and thriving on them…
I would gladly take a ticket to ride
upon a rocket into orbit
or aboard a starship at warp-speed
to another part of the Milky Way galaxy –
but I do think that we all need to
look around at this world
that we live upon once in a while,
our home, and realize that right now
this is all that we have, this is who we are,
and if we could all just choose
to stop making so much of our
societies revolve around
corruption and greed
then everybody could have it all
because here on Earth
we have everything that
we could possibly need.
My Poem “Everything means something”
With every leaf that falls,
with every moment that passes,
with every word that is spoken,
each of us always want more:
more time with certain people,
more things to enjoy,
more experiences to one day recall,
more gifts of the life that we have been given –
because the world is not enough,
because the universe is constantly
changing and evolving,
and we all want to be there
when the next quantum leap
in something becomes an every day thing.
With every year that seemingly flies by,
I am reminded of just how precious
every word, every smile,
every touch, every look into the eye
of someone who matters to me is,
because what we have with people
has an end time –
not in an emotional sense,
but most definitely in a physical sense –
which is why as I get older I consider
people of significance to me
as if they were flowers,
butterflies, or fireflies,
because the indefinable colours
and the spark of life that makes
somebody who and what they are
transitions over time into
becoming something entirely different.
With every new season,
we see changes in colour,
we see changes in light,
we see changes in perspective,
and we see changes in
our perception of time:
as some people get older
a new day’s sunrise and a sunset
seemingly happens within
the blink of an eye of one another
and days can be experienced
as if they were minutes or hours –
which is why I believe now
more than ever what has been
told to me all my life:
never forget where you came from
nor what the cost was for you
to have who and what you have
in your life –
because, when you think of it,
everything means something.
My Poem “Stephen Hawking”
Ever since I was a child
I have been staring up at
the stars of the universe
and I have been staring at
the wonders of the world
and asking questions about the origins
of everything and everyone…
ever since I was a child
I have been enthralled by science
and the many scientific discoveries
that have been made over the centuries…
ever since I was a child
I have been interested in learning more about
physics, chemistry, biology,
and how and why things in nature
work the way that they do on our planet
and elsewhere in the cosmos;
and I will never forget learning about
who scientists were and what they
were famous for: scientists like
Sir Isaac Newton, Marie Curie,
Galileo Galilei, Albert Einstein –
and E = mc2 was the first
and is still the only scientific equation
that I can effortlessly recite from memory;
however, I must admit that it wasn’t until
I became more familiar with the renowned
theoretical physicist and cosmologist
Stephen Hawking – his story, and his pursuit
of a Theory of Everything –
that I became enthralled by the concept
that science and discovery was something
that could be achieved by anybody
with the gift of seeing beyond their periphery.
Stephen Hawking was, and still is,
in my opinion, one of the greatest minds
there has ever been…
Stephen Hawking defied the odds of life
at any and every opportunity
and he never allowed the fact that for
that majority of his adult life
his body was confined to a wheelchair
because he had Motor Neuron Disease
to stop him from becoming famous,
inspirational, and world renowned
because of the way that he was able
to think about and interpret the hidden
secrets of the origin and the nature of the universe.
For most of his life Stephen Hawking
was only able to communicate with the aid
of a computer generated voice –
that over time became just as synonymous
with him as his great intelligence did –
and nevertheless he was able to
share so many theories and insights
into the inner-workings of reality
and he eventually ascended to
become the Lucasian Professor of
Mathematics at the University of Cambridge
for thirty years, and in that time
he published books, he gave inspirational speeches,
and he showed the world that anybody
could achieve anything simply through
using the power of their own mind –
and, in my opinion, that is why
there will never be anyone
who embodies who a person can be
and what they can do if they choose to
not give up, to keep fighting, to keep living,
and to keep considering new ways
of seeing things from different perspectives,
than the personification of hope
who will never be forgotten:
the one and the only
Professor Stephen Hawking.
Mark The Poet 