Vocal Deep Cuts 7

Look at that awesome picture. I mean. It's purposeless, but, looks fancy. What a lovely showing of pepper. Anyway, time for another round of Vocal Deep Cuts. We are on the 7th one. How the hell did that happen?

(I know, one followed by two followed by three etc.)

If you are new to the series, basically, this is where I round up a selection of underappreciated and underread Vocal pieces (predominately poems). It is called Deep Cuts after the term used to describe album tracks by recording artists and bands that perhaps were not singles and didn't get as much airplay but are even better.

There is a lot of content published to Vocal on a daily basis, and even with the best strategy in place, it's hard to keep track on absolutely everything and show it the consideration it deserves.

My goal with this series is to help by shining a light on some pieces by the amazing Vocal creators we have in our midst.

Let's stop the chitterchatter and get on with this thing!

One of My Own - It's a Journey

In the grand tradition of this thing, the first piece I'm highlighting is one of my own.

I've decided rather than dipping into the extensive back catalogue of stuff I've written, I'd pick one out that I feel could do with a bit more love that was more recently published. Mantric, meditative and a lot of things you might not expect from a guy that grew up in Glasgow.

Now that self-promotional nonsense is out of the way, let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

"Time-Shifting" by Grz Colm

Grz is a fantastic writer. He is always very encouraging, friendly and kind, too. He writes a rich variety of things, including stories, non-fiction pieces and even reviews of TV, film and other forms of media. This really encapsulates a lot about time and is a brilliant exercise in brevity. One of my favourite things. Enjoy it.

Stab Me With a Pen by Tina D'Angelo

So, I had been aware of Tina on the platform for sometime, as she would often pop up being very lovely, kind and encouraging in the comments section of writers I follow. I have no idea why I waited so long to dive into her work, but, I am glad I did. I fell in love with this piece and feel it says a lot about what writing from your bloody heart involves. It's dark, but heartfelt and relatable. See for yourself!

The ones that got away... by Alexander McEvoy

Alexander was another that I have been aware of for sometime, but, never taken the time to sit down and read anything by. Until now, for this week's Deep Cuts. He is always very supportive and encouraging in the comments section of people's work that I love and we got into a nice chat on one of my pieces, Men - When Did You Last Cry? - and I appreciated his input into the discussion. This poem I have selected stood out to me, because I loved the poem and there is so much emotion in it. Loved every line of it.

Upside Down Days by Celia in Underland

Celia is a very new writer to the platform who I first read something by when she got Top Story for her awesome piece Ophelia. That transfixed me and it was enough for me to hit subscribe. She has since been active in my own comments sections and others, being an incredibly encouraging addition to the Vocal community. I then came across this poem, and thought it was so clever, emotive and she took it from start to finish so perfectly. Please show her some love and appreciation!

Misery Loves Company by Kendall Defoe

Kendall is a very prolific Canadian writer who has many strings to his bow, is inventive, clever and has a fiendish sense of humour. There was always going to be a piece from Kendall in Deep Cuts, because he is also, like many I highlight, a good supporter of others. He will give an encouraging word or if you are fortunate, an extra bit of poetry as a comment. This is definitely a chin-stroker and I love the format and the way he plays it out.

Ode to Rain by Brin J.

Brin is a very talented writer who always finds ways to stun me with her command of the English language. I knew I wanted to include her in Deep Cuts, and when I came across this beautiful piece, all about my favourite type of weather, rain. It is breathtaking and I wish I had written it myself, but if I had, it would have been different, so it's best that she wrote it.

to drink the ocean by L.C. Schäfer

Yes, I copied and pasted her name to make sure it looked just right. She has written a wide variety of different pieces on Vocal from fiction and poetry to guides and other thought pieces. Her collection of work is a mine of just high quality. She also has a great sense of humour and is very good at being encouraging and supportive. This piece is, for someone who by their own admission "does not do love poems", a sublime love piece full of real emotion and heart. I had to dive quite deep into her work to find it, but glad I did. Have a look.

Chemical Love by Rachael MacDonald

I can't remember what led me to read something by Rachael, but one of the first of two things I read was this beauty. I love the format and the wordplay. It's so creative, without losing emotion and the other pieces I have read so far by Rachael are equally as heartfelt and creatively clever. The image is the perfect accompaniment to it.

Snow Globe by Poppy The Poet

Poppy has the most apt name on Vocal. She is an incredibly prolific poet. She's also an incredible poet and is very encouraging to others, including myself. This is just lovely and another example of her excellent use of language to stir the emotions. I could say a whole bunch more, but I'll just let her powerful use of words do all the talking. It's sad and heartbreaking, but written so beautifully.

So, I hope you enjoy the selections I've made this week. I continue to just love doing this series. It really is a lot of fun for me and I'm glad it still seems to be going down well with everyone else.

If you have not read previous editions, the links to each are below.

If you like, you can also take a look at my profile here.