You and Me and Vocal, 2023
A Villanelle and a Thank You
We gave the best of us, for all to see.
In poem and prose, we bared our writers' souls,
And penned our way through twenty twenty-three.
*
We took up prompt and challenge, dauntlessly
And as we pressed ourselves to reach our goals
We gave the best of us, for all to see.
*
We ventured forth together, you and me,
And built new worlds and characters and roles,
And penned our way through twenty twenty-three.
*
Here, in this sea of creativity
We found shipmates, and from the swells and shoals
We gave the best of us, for all to see.
*
The year has come and gone, and gratefully,
I can reflect on how we paid its tolls
And penned our way through twenty twenty-three.
*
And whether what we've built lives, timelessly,
Or fades, as embers will give way to coals,
We gave the best of us, for all to see
And penned our way through twenty twenty-three.
***
Thank you and a very Happy New Year to all those creative souls who've shared so many spectacular words and the ups and downs of 2023 here on Vocal!
About the Creator
Dana Crandell
Dad, Stedpad, Grandpa, Husband, lover of Nature and dogs.
Poet, Writer, Editor, Photographer, Artist and Tech/Internet nerd. Content writer by trade. Vocal Creator by choice.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Dana Crandell and writers in Poets and other communities.
Vocal Bonus Leaderboard: 04/24/2024
Welcome to the weekly update of the Leaderboard! We're thrilled to showcase Vocal's most discussed stories, popular picks, and rising stars. Let's dive into this past week's standout contributors and their remarkable achievements.
By Vocal Team7 days ago in Resources
Comments (53)
Yay!!!! This is SO exciting and SO deserving of a placement in the challenge! Congrats, my friend! *Been on a Vocal break (kinda still am) catching up a little at a time.💫💞💫
This was so uplifting and warm. Happy New Year!
Loved this and a great model for how to do it. Congratulations on your win
Congratulations, Dana! 😍 This is so well-penned and is such a beautiful reflection of 2023! Well-deserved! 🤗
Congratulations Dana, I feel I have met with a good community here as well. Onward to 2024!
Back to say congrats on your placement badge, Dana! I knew this one was a contender. The content was warm and inviting and flow was amazing. 😍
Wooohooooo congratulations!! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Congrats! An uplifting read and a great villanelle!
Yay! Congrats, sir. Nicely done!
I have been meaning to read this! It is lovely. Warm and extensively friendly. Congratulations.
Congratulations!!!
Congrats on your leaderboard placement Dana! ☺️👍
It's been quite a year for us. Happy New Year, Dana!
This was great Dana, I really liked the first stanza. So eye popping.
This is perfect; now I will crawl back into my fear of villanelle poetry and roll about in anguish. 😂 Top Story for sure!
Love the rhythm of this villanelle. Well done ♥️ Happy New Year to you too!
Dana this was beautiful, I really love this piece and the weight it holds for me personally. The importance of knowing that the past is important but not dwelling on it as we try to embark on new adventures! Great work and congrats on Top Story!!
Nicely done, sir
Very light and lyrical! Well done
If this doesn't place, I'll eat my sock
Nice
Cheers, my friend! It was a great year! Can’t wait to see what everyone does next yr. Happy New Year!
The thoughts of all of the poets during 2023. Well written. enjoyed the read.
very good
Amazing job! Keep up the outstanding work—congrats!