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Magister operis epici - Ode ad Creatores Vocales

For Heather Hubler's Friends Among Us Challenge inspired by...well everyone on Vocal, really. Even Justin

By Paul StewartPublished about a year ago Updated about a year ago 4 min read
Master epic work - Ode to Vocal Creators - gathered around the Hubble Telescope.

Friends, Rommi, countrymen, contemporaries

I stand tall before you as a man, a crusader

purveyor, ab.-.user of words, mispelings,

frac/tured form...atting, ellipses...

deliberately cryptic, deliriously tricksy

#

Always cynical, dramatic but appreciative

who set out to become a mediocre writer

with inflated sense of self, raw talent

hidden a ma(inside)n more uncertain, broke.../n

than he ever lets on, but never shuts up about it

#

A man who takes such a.

-.-.-brok.../en thought... must come back to this

add something of a conclusion to this segue.

*note to self, go back through the piece

Jazzy it up without care and a lot of aplomb-.-.-

#

I stand before you, with gratitude for so much

blah blah, journey, blah blah, shared experience

blah blah, cliches, blah blah, pure reciprocity

make no missstake, there's no room for sickophancy

we all know the tRuth, we all know the tRuth

wHeather the Hubble-r telescope pictures sharply

our microscopic galaxy of glittering stars or not

we all know the tRuth, we all know the tRuth

#

Joi-h-n me in celebrating, encouraging (like a Cox)

the greatest of linguistic endeavours in small scale

all come from different Holmes, different nations

united, inspired and so much Moore by each other

some fallen, to Underland, the Blue of River Joy

others vanished from among us with no return

Hardy we remain, offering Gold in their absence

#

Hard to Singleton out anyone individually

harder still to light a Kendall (Candle)

under the asses of everyone

deserving a spotlight

#

The best thing about this thing in our lives

friendship, our contemporaries, comrades

know no borders, look beyond differences

joy we get from sharing, being shared with

#

wHeather through sleepy eyes in the evening, morning

we share words, thoughts(?), it reminds me of Hey Jude-y,

while we hum along, lose ourselves in McCartney's words

we are all waiting for the moment, that glorious Moement

when we can share, singalong the NaNa NaNatalie climax

#

Subtle, visceral Silver Serpent of wordplay, verse

Bonnie adherences to, ab...errations of form, format

bring Joy and Dread, our Marks of noteworthiness

Novel-ty never wears off, the hand on the back

"Cor... win the challenge you might, with this piece"

Shirley that is one of the best things about this thing

this thing we have

the chance to sow our Poppy seeds of lyrical mastery

among the masses

#

There is too much to bear

too sad, too joyful,

too Randy, too clever

too good like Bugsy

or Jesses and Chloes

Alexander/Alexandria the Great would be in awe

of the wisdom, wit and wide-eyed wonder of it all

#

wi-wi-wi-wo

*

Melissa to DJ, Shepard, Rene, Darkos

Margaret to Scotts, Kelli, Kayleigh

hardest tasks, Deeming best/worst

welcome with happiness Andrew due respect

wHeather Lindsay, Ava, Pamela, Sarah or Sara

you sit on a ROCK or are the friendly Archivist

Kodah or introductory passage, Belle of the ball

Rick in tRick, Rob, Lana, Dana, either one, other

#

G-e-r-a-l-d or G-e-r-a-r-d

G-a-b-r-i-e-l or G-a-b-r-i-e-l-a

M-i-c-h-è-l-e or M-i-c-h-e-l-l-e

K-r-i-s-t-e-n or K-i-r-s-t-e-n,

A-n-t-h-o-n-y as G-r-z

K-e-l-l-e-y or K-e-l-l-y,

E-m, E-m-i-l-y or E-m-a

M-e-g, M-e-a-g-a-n or M-e-g-a-n

D-o-n-n-a with an FHKB or D-o-n-n-a with a Renee

MC, ARC, SA, RC, JR, J

#

Rosie, Kenny, Penny, Tressa, Vicki, Doula Sam

prolific Mikey, Kelli, Brenton, that Scottish daftie

persistence consistence Gloria, Clyde, Joe, Denise

imaGinative tapestry of words

incredible storytelling prowess

like Tina, Stephens and Christy

whip us into a Frankie/frenzy

whisk us off to fantasy lands

#

On another plain like the Carolines, Will, Suze, Teresa, Angeli

along with Mesh, Mackenzie, Hannah, Zara and many others

too much interesting stuff to consume and be consumed by

eclectic musings of Tom, Addison, James, Andrei, Mohammed

passion and heart of Sonia, Jennifer, Bex, Dani, Oneg, Joelle

#

Doctor, Doctor, I am suffering from sensory overkill

a sharp intake -breathlessness,

in my role as Earl of endeavours and misdemeanours

chall(challenges)enges att(challenges)empts at sense(delete within)

in my broke...ncrack--/ed...chaotic...strick/en cortex

call me an MD or Dr Segarran to cure my wavering Wiggins mind

Fromm one writer to others concerned with the finest of details

I'L.C. to it that we never find a cure for our literary disease

no need to quest like JBaz and the Argonauts, start a Tiff

with Babsylonian Goddess to rid yourself of your unique gift

#

Where would we be if Morgana was actually a Miller

or evil witch of Arthurian legend not a great poet like Sian and Rowan?

If Gary was a real Viking, heading to Valhalla not a soul-searching wordsmith?

Where would we be if Raymond was a Tailor not a sharp, critical mind?

We're glad that Real Poetic stands true to her creative direct, moniker

We all (including Ian) Read Sean Patrick's reviews, don't we? (We should)

#

So, friends, Rommi, Colleens, Natasha

Anna, Cindy, Andy, Alyssa, Angela, Lacy

let's celebrate, Leslie we forget anyone

from our diverse pool of creative genius

there's a Storm, Keila, Thavian

ThatWomanWriter to be mentioned

that Justin guy

I'll take a moment to say thanks

-a moment-

For everything, everyone, anyone

(like Bri, Mariann, and Brin)

not mentioned above, throughout

everyone, anyone

(like Ashley, Jazzy and Amanda)

#

Who treads the writes fantastic, unleashes their soul

for those who worry or procrastinate about their craft

the Amber light is flashing, signalling the time to write

*

Thanks for reading!

Author's Notes: This is my firsr entry (I have another fermenting) for wHeather Hubler's Friends Among Us Challenge(Link below). I tried, really tried to fit as many people directly or indirectly in this piece to showcase the friendship and sense of community here on Vocal. I've probably still missed some people out, so if I have, this spot right here is for you, but here are others on my list that I never found a space for, so you still get a shout-out - F Cade, Atomic Historian, Loryne, Everyday Junglist, Susanna, Beth, Kelsey, Alivia, Rachael, Sian, Susanna, Sheila, James, Phil, Vadim, Katarzyna, Talia, Sandra, Veronica, Lonzo, Jordan, Angel, Lisa, Rebekah, Kali, Misty, Holly, Isla, Carol. Please share it far and wide, maybe?

artFree VerseFriendshipGratitudeinspirationalOdeperformance poetryStream of Consciousnesssurreal poetrysocial commentary

About the Creator

Paul Stewart

Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.

The Accidental Poet - Poetry Collection out now!

Streams and Scratches in My Mind coming soon!

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Comments (37)

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  • Hope Martinabout a year ago

    This is pretty inspiring! Good job. I love it.

  • Yay! I’m only just catching up on this… great win. I enjoyed rereading this 🤣.

  • D.K. Shepardabout a year ago

    Congrats, Paul!! Well deserved!

  • Dana Crandellabout a year ago

    Well done, sir and well-earned!

  • Heather Hublerabout a year ago

    Somebody may want to go look at my challenge write up...just sayin

  • Joe O’Connorabout a year ago

    Love the idea Paul, and isn’t it cool to see how many wonderful people (and writers) a person can engage with here😊 A big-hearted piece from you!

  • Grz Colmabout a year ago

    ☺️😁 Heheh some funny lines in there. Favourites are opening stanzas about yourself.

  • Heather Hublerabout a year ago

    You overthetopcrazyscottishitalianwonder!! I read this when you first published it but literally could not come up with something to say as I was very impressed and moved. I loved seeing references to so many creators, even the ones no longer here. Beautiful, fantastical, clever work, my friend :) Findamnindeed

  • ThatWriterWomanabout a year ago

    OMG IT ME!! Thank you so so much Paul!! This is such a good read! So many good names!

  • Melissa Ingoldsbyabout a year ago

    Love this!! Especially this: hidden a ma(inside)n more uncertain, broke.../n than he ever lets on, but never shuts up about it

  • D.K. Shepardabout a year ago

    OMG!!! This is so freaking fantastic!! Just WOW, Paul! Weaving this together must have been quite a feat! Very impressive! Truly honored to have been included!

  • 🤩 Wow! My mind was reeling reading this frenetically enthusiastic ode! 😵‍💫 I especially loved the ‘typos’ & mis-formatting etc like: “missstake”. You sure covered a huge range of creators 😃✅… it was a treasure hunt! You’re spot on regarding how encouraging and inspiring it is to be part of the Vocal community. 🙃Thanks!

  • Poppy about a year ago

    This is cleverly and masterfully done. Like Jazzy said, I can't imagine even trying it. Thanks for the name drop and I had fun spotting the creators. It was like a game of Where's Wally but with lots and lots of Wallys😂

  • Sid Aaron Hirjiabout a year ago

    Interesting read

  • Kayleigh Fraser ✨about a year ago

    😍 well done Paul!!!

  • Hannah Mooreabout a year ago

    Fantastic! You did this so damn well! And I love that playful first stanza, too.

  • Jazzy about a year ago

    Honestly the attention to detail on this was so impressive I cannot even fathom trying this myself

  • Lamar Wigginsabout a year ago

    -I'L.C. to it that we never find a cure for our literary disease.- 😂 This was an absolute joy to read. The word play is Top Shelf, chef's kiss, Paulified. Thank you, my friend for the mention. More importantly, thank you for paying homage to all the people who make Vocal what it is: A place to disappear into literary bliss (while sharing our own contributions). Again, 😂👏👏👏😎

  • Mackenzie Davisabout a year ago

    This is so cool, beyond incredible, Paul! How did you even do this?? I feel like I’m in the presence of something that will go down in the poetry books of history, witnessing your induction to true literary fame. Seriously, wow. It’s beyond my capacity for analysis, though my brain is going crazy with all the clever wordplay and references. It’s an honor to be includes in this amazing list of Vocal Paul pals. I feel unworthy. Thank you. 💜 Damn Heather, give him the trophy already! It’s over!

  • Andrea Corwin about a year ago

    OMG this is so OUT-OF-THE-ORDINARY FABULOUS, crafty-creative unbelievable! I need whatever you are investing🤣🤣 you filled this up in a vocalicous way💗💗

  • Stephen A. Roddewigabout a year ago

    Guess it's down to pistols at dawn for Stephen Kramer Avitabile and I to decide who gets the honor of claiming the name drop

  • John Coxabout a year ago

    You definitely are the Earl of Endeavor! Very kind of you to recognize so many Vocvilliens!

  • Judey Kalchik about a year ago

    Holy mouthful Batman!

  • Lana V Lynxabout a year ago

    This was such a tour de force of grateful stream of consciousness, Paul! Honored to have my name mentioned there.

  • L.C. Schäferabout a year ago

    SQUEEEE! There's me! I'LL.C. myself out!!

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