writing

My Poem “Her Majesty”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , 
I will never forget the 8th of September, 2022 -
the day that I and the entire nation of Great Britain
mourned the passing of
Queen Elizabeth the second...
it had been raining on and off all day -
and for some reason when I heard
that members of the Royal Family
were rushing to be by The Queen's side
I had a feeling that we soon may be
witnessing the end of her reign.

When it was announced that The Queen
had died,
I must admit that I and my family did indeed cry -
because we had lived with The Queen
all our lives,
and she had always been
like a grandmother to our entire nation
whose image we had seen and carried with us
wherever we went and whenever we needed
to use some physical pounds and pence.

Things will never be the same again...
now King Charles III will take
his mother's place as the head of state...
now when we sing the national anthem
we will have to say "God Bless The King"
instead of "God Bless The Queen"...
this year The Queen celebrated having
spent 70 years on the throne -
70 years in which she showed true strength,
grace, regality, and a sense of duty
to her people and the country that she loved...
Queen Elizabeth II and I shared the same birthday -
the 21st of April -
and though we were not at all close in age
I always considered the fact that we were born
on the same day and the same month
to be something special to me, for some reason.

It is the end of an era...
it is the end of what is it being referred to
as the "second Elizabethan Age"...
it is the end of one reign
and the beginning of another -
but no matter what happens going forwards
nothing will be the same...
it is with a deep and profound sense of sadness
that I must write about the death
of a woman who was inspiring
and influential to so many people
in so many ways for seven decades -
and even though I was never lucky enough
to get the chance to meet The Queen personally,
I will always remember her as being
someone who every year I wanted
to watch the Christmas message of,
someone who personified
the importance of obligation,
pride, duty, legacy, and family -
which is why I will always think
fondly of The Queen, Elizabeth II,
Her Majesty.
Queen Elizabeth II
21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022

My Poem “In The Zone”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , 
Usually when I am getting from A to B
from the West Side to the East Side
of one of my favourite cities,
when I am alone, I am always in "The Zone"...
usually I am quick on my feet -
but all the while I am always looking around
at what I see and what jumps out at me
as I travel down the many
interconnected paths and streets...
usually I am thinking, listening, feeling,
and taking in everything that every thing
and every one is constantly transmitting
and broadcasting like a megaphone...
usually when I am making the most of my free time -
when I am not watching a film at the cinema,
when I am not shopping in an
entertainment store or a bookstore,
when I am not writing in my favourite cafe -
I am just walking around somewhere
I know like the back of my hand 
and somewhere I could navigate with my eyes closed,
so much so I probably do just that in my dreams...
usually I do not anticipate seeing someone I know;
however, occasionally, because of mere chance,
coincidence, or perhaps by design,
I will be stopped in my tracks
by the sound of my name
being uttered by someone who knows me
and I momentarily find myself
at a loss for words until my racing thoughts
catch up with the reality that I see...
usually I do not have a definitive
direction
or a previously planned path
that I wish to travel down -
because like a bird that can sense
the magnetic field of the Earth
I use my instincts to draw me
to where the universe is calling me to be...
usually when I am doing anything -
whether I am walking around a city,
or sitting down writing with my pen
or tapping away at the letters of a keyboard -
I am on the hunt for inspiration
in all it's multiple forms,
and I am never left empty-handed
or empty minded whenever I return
to the sanctuary of my home...
usually when I am on the move
and making my time in the big wide world last
I am unapologetically and occasionally oblivious
to most things other than my thoughts,
because most of the time I am in the zone.

A Poem A Day #328: Heart to Heart

Mark Hastings Podcast, Poetry , , , , , , , , ,
“Heart to Heart” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Dreamer and The Dream’ which was published in 2015 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet

A Poem A Day #327: Your Day

Mark Hastings Podcast, Poetry , , , , , , , , ,
“Your Day” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Dreamer and The Dream’ which was published in 2015 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet

Writing: do what works for you

Mark Hastings books, Podcast, Poetry , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark gives some insight into his writing process and what works for him when he is writing, and also why it important to find your own way as an artist that works you – because not every writer or artist is the same. Mark discusses what is important if you want to be writer of any kind of success and of any style of writing, and why all writers do what they do and why they should.

Happy National Read a Book Day!

Mark Hastings books, Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,
Happy National Read a Book Day! I have personally always been a lover of books and I consider myself so lucky to have had the opportunity to have now 12 books of poetry, short-stories, and novellas published for all the world to read! I hope today people will take the opportunity of National Read A Book Day to check out one of my books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, or any other good online bookstore and take a journey with me via my poetry or via my stories to a place, to a time, of people, of experiences that are personal to me in so many ways. Happy Reading! 😊📖📚

A Poem A Day #326: Happy Birthday!

Mark Hastings Podcast, Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,
“Happy Birthday!” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Dreamer and The Dream’ which was published in 2015 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet

A Poem A Day #325: The Walking King

Mark Hastings Podcast, Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,
“The Walking King” by Mark Hastings was taken from Mark’s poetry collection ‘The Dreamer and The Dream’ which was published in 2015 by Zeloo Media. Check out more of Mark’s poetry online @ http://MarkThePoet.Me – all poems © Mark Hastings ● Buy Me a coffee @ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MarkThePoet

My Poem “Proof”

Mark Hastings Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , 
Some people can believe in
that which they cannot see...
some people can pretend to be
someone they know that they are not...
some people need something
and someone to believe in...
some people need someone
to believe in them so that they
do not feel lost...
some people can be what for so long
they used to believe they were incapable of being...
some people go where they always
believed they would always be unwelcome...
some people have gifts with which
they can live out their dreams -
like someone with a voice who believes
that they were always born to sing...
some people want some things -
and then something happens
and all the puzzles pieces of their life
get tossed up in the air
and they have to rely on the power
that sustains all who never stop believing...
some people sometimes have an experience
that is so extraordinary they
find it impossible to find the words
to make people believe what happened to them...
some people sometimes feel that they
have something to share so deeply
that they truly believe they have to
tell the world about it by shouting
about it from their roof...
some people want to live a life
of love and belonging and would
do anything and believe anyone
to have a relationship with someone
that daily deepens...
some people can naturally accept things
they receive and "not look a gift horse in the mouth " -
whereas some people need more
of a reason to make a change or to make move,
because before some people will believe
something or the words of someone
they sometimes need that which
is sometimes intangible:
proof.

A Poem A Day #324: Beautiful Extremes

Mark Hastings playing god, Podcast , , , , , , , ,