Nothing and no one can prepare
for that moment of instant connection
that happens when two people
fall in love with one another...
so much can happen internally,
so much can be communicated
when two people see each other
for the first time...
nothing and no one can stop
the tidal wave of energy
that rises and then floods the air
around two people when they feel
as if their heart has been enlivened
and their soul has found
a match like no other...
so much can change when two people,
when two strangers,
realize that they have found
someone who they had no idea
they were searching for -
perhaps their entire life...
nothing and no one can feel,
nor could anyone else ever describe,
what two people who experience
this simultaneous, and sometimes supernatural,
love goes through when they find themselves
having to ask who the person
they have met is and why they
feel as if they already know them, somehow...
so much makes sense,
so much is expressed,
so much goes through
a person's mind, and so fast,
that no one could ever truly
realise everything that happens
when the look of love that is shared
by two people, within the time
that it takes for them both to blink,
inextricably creates a bond between them
that forever makes them consciously,
as well as unconsciously,
interlinked.
writing
Short story: “The Man in Blue” (2018) by Mark Hastings
My Poem “The Lesson”
It was always going to be this way...
it was always going to be me
finding myself back where it all began...
it was always going to be me
returning to the same place I started -
like restarting the performance of a play...
it was always going to be
a long and eventful road that I took
before I found myself, once again,
doing what I do, what I always do,
filled with memories and inspiration,
and, as always, without anything
that might resemble a plan.
It was always going to be me,
with an open notebook in front of me,
with my silver pen in my hand,
still with a hopeful smile on my face,
writing, thinking,
remembering, recalling,
watching, observing, looking
and finding more than might meet
the eye of everyone else but me...
it was always going to be me
back writing my poetry,
within my own bubble of imagination,
as the world, the universe,
the reality of life on this planet
carries on regardless around me.
It was always going to be me;
it was always going to be
who it was when things were
how they used to be;
it was always going to be
unlike what I, or anyone,
would ever have expected -
because everything that turned out
the way that it did
seems to have conformed
to a pattern that was always meant to happen.
It was always going to be me
who would teach myself
that no matter how things
sometimes do change,
and how people sometimes
do take much-needed detours,
there is always a lesson to be learned
taught by time and by our own
inner shadow, like only they can.
Short story: “The Man in the Mirror” (2018) by Mark Hastings
My Poem “Nocturnal”
Some people, some things,
some animals, some creatures
are nocturnal by nature -
they are more active after dark
and they thrive upon
the particular pursuits
that can only be undertaken
during the time of twilight.
Under the shroud of darkness
is when some individuals live
more so than they would
under the light of day,
because their instincts are
more attuned, accentuated,
and heightened when
the senses that they were born with
can be used to their maximum capability.
From owls to bats,
from badgers to whales,
from turtles to fireflies,
from people who work as firefighters
to people who work
in a bar or in a nightclub -
so many prefer performing
and engaging in professional
and personal activities
when there is not as much
exposure as there is when
everything can clearly be seen.
As some people get older,
they find that they are unable
to stay up as late as they used
to be able to in their youth...
when some people have children
they find themselves having to
attend to those in their care
at times when it is not convenient -
including when others are
fast asleep and tucked up in their bed...
for some people, it is
what makes the night-time so special and so magical
which keeps them awake -
in particular, those who like to look up
to the sky and marvel at the wonders
that can be seen with the naked eye
that have been the stuff
of dreams and fireside stories
since the first of humanity
discovered that it is
sometimes essential
to be nocturnal.
My Poem “Wild Card”
There is always one...
there is always someone
who stands out from the crowd
because they refuse
to be like everyone else,
to think like everyone else,
to feel like everyone else -
even from those who
they consider their friends,
as well as from those of their family...
there is always someone extraordinary
who is capable of seeing what others cannot,
who can see a path where others see none,
who can work with what they have got
and make something seemingly out of nothing -
someone who is intrigued
by the mysteries of the unknown
and the uncertainties of life
that lie just beyond
the limits of their own eyes,
and who does not fear
where the universe will take them...
there is always something
that captures the imagination
and inspires the gift of the soul of someone special
to go out and touch the energy
of the cosmic poetry around the world
that binds us all together,
and, in doing so, introduces them
to people along the way
who will influence them
to shine brighter than
the stars of the night-sky
and also inspire others
to follow their lead
with the commitment of a dart...
there is always someone
whose destiny is to go where
they know they need to venture -
even if doing so can't, at first, be understood;
because everybody has to do
what they have got to do,
and sometimes when people
have such a determination
and carry such a spark
of change within their heart,
they can be considered
a "wild card".
Short story: “The Man in Grey” (2018) by Mark Hastings
My Poem “The True Journey”
As one day becomes another...
as one year ends and another begins...
as time resets with an explosion of light and colour...
as people simultaneously celebrate
what has come before
and hope for what awaits,
nobody can truly know how
they reached the point of crossroads
that they find themselves at,
nor where the path
in front of them will take them;
however, each of us can rest assured
that the past influences the present,
just as the present dictates the future,
and all of our overlapping
and interwoven interactions
have a resonance that rings out
beyond the waves that are generated
at a moment of creation,
at an explosion rebirth,
at an instance of regeneration,
at a point when a threshold
is traversed,
and, as a result, a door
to a new world opens...
as we all continue to walk
where we have walked before,
as we all continue to share eye contact
with those whom we regularly see,
as we all continue to speak
and hopefully be heard,
we all hope that the first time
will not be the last time,
and that no matter what we have done
and how much time
we have left on Earth,
it goes without saying
that there is always more
for each and every one of us
to reach for, experience, and explore -
because the true journey has no end.
markthepoet.me 