The Summer sun has arrived upon the shores, on the beaches, on the hills, in the parks, in the gardens, and on the streets of the cities of our island country... the Summer sun has bestowed upon the flowers, the trees, the animals, the insects, the birds, the people of the place I call home a fresh wave of warmth and connection like the tides of an ever present ocean... the Summer sun has people breaking out their barbecues and gathering together to feast with one another... the Summer sun has people coming out of their shell to sing, to dance, and to revel with each other... the Summer sun has people freeing themselves of their inhibitions... the Summer sun has people feeling like the time is right to to go to places of beauty and fascination... the Summer sun has a draw to it that is the perfect stage for nature to display its kaleidoscope of infinite colours... the Summer sun has the gift to be able to rejuvenate the spirit and the gift to be able to give an insight into the human experience - but the Summer sun is also something to enjoy in small doses, because too much may cause more harm than good... the Summer sun is shining bright in the sky and as I bask in its rays I feel something that reminds me of something I have felt and I know well: the odyssey of emotions and feelings that all come together at the height of the English Summer.
weather
My Poem “Appropriate Footwear”
You never know when you are
going to need certain things –
things that you may only think about,
look for, or even use at a particular
time or within a particular season of the year…
you never know when you are
going to need or when you are going
to want to wear a particular piece
of clothing that you like, for example,
because the design that it advertises
shows that you have a profound interest
in something or in someone for some reason…
you never know when you are
going to need a particular pair of shoes –
be they sneakers, boots, or something
that look comfortable enough to wear
around the house when you don’t need to go out…
you never know when you are
going to be presented with an easy
or a difficult dilemma based upon the weather –
such as a heavy deluge of snow,
a downpour of rain that has created
a brand new river outside of your front-door,
or perhaps you may ffereyind yourself poolside somewhere
or on holiday near a sandy beach –
and you have to decide what your current situation calls for:
Smart? Casual? Flip-flops?
Wellington boots? Or Barefoot?
That is why it is always important to consider
what you are doing and where –
because you might have to wonder
whether you are wearing the most
appropriate of footwear.
My Poem “Solar Cycle 25”
Everything in nature is constantly in motion…
everything in the known universe
goes through varying stages of activity…
every astronomical body changes
profoundly from time to time,
as if someone were pushing a button
or incrementally turning a dial…
every star, ever sun –
including the one at the centre
of our fascinating planetary system –
has a life and a cycle, and right now
The Sun has begun a brand new cycle,
“Solar Cycle 25”, and for the next 11 years
solar observers and imbibers will witness
a change in the solar weather
that may impact humanity’s connection
with itself, as solar winds
carry the waves of solar storms,
over the celestial sea of space,
all the way from the Sun, to Earth,
and as far away as the gas giants
that are spinning worlds of mystery
which have on more than one occasion
been the reason why we are still here
and why continue to marvel
at the power of the sky’s burning sphere.
My Poem “The Goldfish Bowl”
Rumblings of activity, bangs of sound,
streaks of lightning flash
intense white light across the sky,
as all that can be seen above are dark clouds
as the rain pours down all night –
and it goes without saying that
the forces of nature are culminating
to put on quite a show.
The air inside is warm…
the electricity flickers…
every moment is devoid of calm…
outside my home I hear
the howl of the wind as well
at the crash and the crack of explosive
impacts reaching Earth in the distance.
For many days, the sun shined,
the air was dry, the ground was parched,
the leaves of the trees and the fields
emanated a hypnotic green glow –
however now it is raining,
but if we are to accept the gift
of beauty then we must also
accept that there are times when
nature takes the wheel and tells
us all what we can do
and where we can go.
There are always things
that build up over time
and there are always things that
take our breath away because we know
that what they are made up of
are among some of the many things
that we mere mortals unfortunately cannot control…
people sometimes like to watch things
that they would never want to be
at the centre of but for some reason
they cannot draw their attention away
from
because they are following the
uncontrollable and the irresistible
instinct within them of being
like a goldfish in a fish-bowl
and just staring out at a spherical
wide world that they enjoy just watching
and just observing without knowing
why or how everything around them works.
My Poem “Revelation”
Life in the cities feels like
it is slowly restarting…
life on the streets feels like it is
in some way restoring…
the sunlight that falls upon
the windows of the tall buildings
reflects back upon everything
and everybody and makes the world
shimmer and glisten…
the beautiful weather beckons
to the young and the old –
and even in the slightest of sunbeams
there are sights and there sounds
to be found that could be thought of
as gifts of personal perfection.
There are moments of silence…
there are moments of laughter…
there are moments of stillness…
there are moments of drama…
there are moments of childhood…
there are moments of exploration…
there are moments of love…
there are moments of deep,
peaceful and necessary
meditation and contemplation.
Everybody’s life is slightly
different from one day to the next…
the weather of our planet
has been teaching us for centuries
that there will always be
some things in this world
that we will never be able to control
no matter how hard we try
or how much we are blessed…
everything is governed
by a clockwork cycle of universal
laws and proportions that are so
inherent to what makes life
what it is that it’s signature
can be seen time and again within
so many examples of nature…
the more that you believe
that there is no more to know,
that there are no other places to go,
and that life can no longer surprise you
is naturally when something or someone
will challenge that view
and deliver to you a revelation
that will make you question your past,
that will make you look at your present,
and influence the course of your future.
My Poem “Maelstrom”
Nature is always showing
its utter dominance
and its powerful influence over humanity…
the nature of the world
is constantly acting independent to,
and without any thought of,
how the after effects of its actions
will impact upon all of its inhabitants –
however, some inhabitants of the world
sometimes seemingly act
with just as much disregard
and impunity for how their actions
will ultimately impact upon nature.
When a huge storm rages
there always follows intolerable
damage, destruction, and loss,
and it can sometimes be hard
to pick up the pieces and recover
from what no one and nothing
has any control over –
namely the ever changing weather
and the cocktail of elelments
that all build up to such high levels
of instability and volatility
that they naturally have to create
and generate that which must be
expelled in order to once regain
a sense of order and stability.
Severe storms can literally
change the face of nature –
and so many meteorological phenomenon
have been observed and have
been carried out by nature
since the weather patterns of Earth
began to take shape,
and a long time before humanity
in any form rose to become a vital
and influential voice in the future
of our home planet
and how nature will treat
humanity as a response.
The influence that we have on nature,
the way that nature can influence us,
the equilibrium that we must have with nature
if we are to survive,
is fundamental and it must be recognised
and respected for being what it is:
namely the greatest example
of symbiosis that has ever been observed –
which is why we should all do
everything that we can to think about
why things are the way that they,
how humanity collectively effects
itself and the world that it is
lucky to call home
and all the gifts and the opportunities
that our little blue sphere affords
every form of life on this planet.
We all need to be more concerned
with where we are all going and why
before it is too late
to turn back the clock entirely,
and we must all do our part
to attempt to heal the wounds
that we have scarred nature with
before the high tides of the seas
that have been littered for years
with the fragments of lasting modernity
return to humanity a maelstrom
of their own making.
My Poem “Walk On Water”
Today, pretty much everybody
here in the UK, is literally
having to “walk on water”…
let’s just say that the weather
could be a lot better than it is
and if you are “caught short”,
and you are not at least
carrying an umbrella,
then it goes without saying
that you are going to have to
either stay undercover
for as long as you can,
or, if you do need to go somewhere
in particular, you may have to
go “hell for leather” and run
as fast as you can –
as if you were some kind of
soaking-wet cheetah.
We here in the UK could talk adnorsism
about our eccentric and ever-changing
weather – in fact it is favourite
subject of small-talk…
we here in the UK can see
both the beauty of a summer’s day
as well as, on occasion, the water-droplets of a rain storm –
however, most stiff-upper-lip British
people would much rather observe
rain falling while looking out of the window,
perhaps from the comfort of their own homes,
instead of having to walk out of their front-door
and immediately have to find their footing,
while trying to keep calm, carry on,
and simultaneously having to
follow the example of the Messiah
and walk on water.
My Poem “Raining June”
It’s Summer now…
It’s the month of June…
Usually at this time of the year
when you look up at the sky
all that you can see is bright blue
and there isn’t a cloud to be found –
however, this year, today,
here in the U.K especially,
all that you can see is grey clouds
and all that you can feel
when you are out and about
walking around
is the wet droplets of rain water
assuring all concerned
that this Summer there won’t be a hosepipe ban.
Every year it’s a different story…
In years gone by you could
set your watch to the knowledge
that May to September
the weather was going to be nice
and dry and perfect for all those
activities that you necessarily
could not do while you were
inside your house –
but, like most things,
steadily the climate of the world
has changed and it has become
a lot more unpredictable.
Right now, people should be
wiping their brow of sweat
and complaining about how hot it is –
however, instead, people are
complaining that they are getting
soaked by the deluge of rain
from above and from the splash
of the puddles when cars
race past them at high-speed…
Right now, it should be as hot as hell –
however, at the moment,
there is a constant stream of droplets
from this mass outside shower –
during which the soles of shoes
are slipping,
people are sliding,
and cars are hydroplaning –
and instead of it being flaming
this June looks to be one
when almost every day
it is going to be raining.
My Poem “Thaw”
The air is cold…
There is ice all around…
I am steeping out,
I am breaking the mould…
I refuse to stay in one place
and forever remain gravity bound…
I will not allow fear to take hold…
I will put one foot in front of the other
and walk towards my destiny
that has been foretold…
Soon the ice will thaw
and again I will see the path
upon which I am fated to walk…
There is no way of turning back,
there is no time for talk…
The essence of time is to be fleeting…
The reason of memory
is in order to be reminded of life’s meaning…
I do not fear the future,
nor do I fear this shining icy floor…
One step at a time,
I will keeping going
and walk within the light of the sun
as it slowly but surely transforms
and returns all islands of ice
back into the air from whence they came
in one almighty thaw.
Mark The Poet 