"Hi everyone, I'm Mark Hastings...
I'm afraid I'm not someone who plays an instrument or sings;
however what I am, what I love
and what I one day hope to be
is a poet and a dreamer who can move the world with my poetry..."
- "The Poet" by Mark Hastings,
From my book 'Poet of the Sphere',
First published in 2012
This verse of poetry from my poem "The Poet", which is also the description on the back of my first poetry collection 'Poet of the Sphere', describes me when I first started writing poetry, and who I still am and who I still want to be to this day. Granted I may have made some missteps along the way, I may have made some mistakes; but I still hope that I have been a source of hope and inspiration for others and that I will continue to be.
I have published 12 books over the course of the last 10 years - filled with poetry, stories, inspiration, characters, recollections, tales of fantasy mixed with personal experiences - but no matter what I have written everything has within it not just me but those whom I have met throughout my life and ingrained more so than could ever be imagined.
I have always loved sharing experiences with others and occasionally capturing moments of time with others so that others can read and relive those experiences through the lens of my poetic eye. Alot of the poems that I have written have been read by many people, but some have never been read by anyone other than who they were written and intended for - but no matter who reads, or listens to my poem for that matter, I hope that I have left my mark upon the heart of those who have felt something from the touch of my words upon their soul.
All 12 of my books are available to buy on Amazon and a great many of my poems new and old can be read @markthepoet and some can even be heard on Spotify being recited by me on "Mark The Poet - The Podcast" - which is essentially a poetic trip down memory lane in which I recite a poem from one of my books every day.
Happy reading and happy listening!
-Mark 😊
When I walked out of my house this morning
I immediately found myself
staring into the dark eyes of a crow -
it was as if the crow knew something
about me and about what was going
to happen to me that I did not know...
I stared at the crow, as they stared back at me,
and then when I started walking towards
them they let me get perhaps two feet
before they decided to flap their wings
and take flight as quietly, as quickly,
and as effortlessly as could be...
I didn't think anything else of the crow
until just now, as a matter of fact,
as I wonder how long it will take
before I once again feel whole again,
and just like the old me;
however, I know that it is too late
for some things and that there are some things
that will forever remain in the past...
we are all a product of the choices that we have made
and the road that we walk upon
that is built upon our hopes, our dreams,
as well as our fears and our actions
that we can't take back...
when I woke up this morning
I knew that I had something waiting for me -
something that I knew would leave a scar
upon me that only I will wear
and that only I would know...
when I woke up this morning
I was given a message meant only for me
that when I think about it now
was as clear as clear could be -
and the messenger of this message
was who was waiting for me
outside my house this morning:
none other than the black bird
that is smarter than you could know,
and symbolically considered to be
the herald of change, transition,
transformation and new beginnings
that is The Crow.
In this episode Mark gives an insight into his life as a writer, as a lover of inspiration and people, and as a someone who takes great delight in returning to the same places and doing the same things time after time – and how much he likes it when someone remembers his name, especially in Starbucks.
