Magister operis epici - Ode ad Creatores Vocales
For Heather Hubler's Friends Among Us Challenge inspired by...well everyone on Vocal, really. Even Justin

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?
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!
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme

Comments (37)
This is pretty inspiring! Good job. I love it.
Yay! I’m only just catching up on this… great win. I enjoyed rereading this 🤣.
Congrats, Paul!! Well deserved!
Well done, sir and well-earned!
Somebody may want to go look at my challenge write up...just sayin
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!
☺️😁 Heheh some funny lines in there. Favourites are opening stanzas about yourself.
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
OMG IT ME!! Thank you so so much Paul!! This is such a good read! So many good names!
Love this!! Especially this: hidden a ma(inside)n more uncertain, broke.../n than he ever lets on, but never shuts up about it
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!
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😂
Interesting read
😍 well done Paul!!!
Fantastic! You did this so damn well! And I love that playful first stanza, too.
Honestly the attention to detail on this was so impressive I cannot even fathom trying this myself
-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, 😂👏👏👏😎
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!
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💗💗
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
You definitely are the Earl of Endeavor! Very kind of you to recognize so many Vocvilliens!
Holy mouthful Batman!
This was such a tour de force of grateful stream of consciousness, Paul! Honored to have my name mentioned there.
SQUEEEE! There's me! I'LL.C. myself out!!