Standing Accused
An Enlightening Literature Acrostic
Vindication is an elusive taste
One that's easily tainted by ego
Charge me with my crimes, convict me — guilty
Am I the monster or the first martyr?
Let the writers of history decide
Author's Note: This is an example entry for the unofficial challenge I'm hosting. Check out the details linked below!
And if you haven't already, please check out the conclusion to my Vocalite manifesto and share your input for changes to Vocal! (Or submit the Google Form embedded here!)
I deleted the section on the Google Form about the Vocal Leaderboard since it's already been reinvented! Thank you, Vocal!
About the Creator
D.K. Shepard
Character Crafter, Witty Banter Enthusiast, World Builder, Unpublished novelist...for now
Fantasy is where I thrive, but I like to experiment with genres for my short stories. Currently employed as a teacher in Louisville.
Keep reading
More stories from D.K. Shepard and writers in Poets and other communities.
Fair Exchange, No Robberies
Dark Memoirs - Index There are at least two kinds of people in the world: those who write this half-arsed kind of intro to a story that looks to separate the rare and the norm, and those who realise it's an overused framing device and don't.
By Paul Stewart6 days ago in Chapters
Comments (25)
Oh I remember the day DK and I was trying to figure out what to write. I learned a bit about poetry back then. Thank you for hosting it.
Very nice. The winners decide history.
This is kind of anti climatic...you winning your own challenge...well, sort of. So funny. kudos.
Yay Dk!! Circling back to say congrats on honourable mention this week!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Awesome acrostic poem!!! Congratulations on the Leaderboard win!!!
Congratulations on this story making the leaderboard. So well deserved!
You are the conduit who used professionalism to advocate. A hero for a day who has proven the power of words. Loved your example piece!
Powerful acrostic… “Am I the monster or the first martyr? Let the writers of history decide” If they’re perceptive, they’ll choose the latter, in your case. Don’t let the turkeys get you down!🧐
I agree you can't enter your own challenge, with these great examples. Nicely Done!!!
You're the reason the Leaderboard was reinvented and I'm soooo grateful for that. Looking forward to those other areas to undergo changes too. Also, loved your Acrostic!
Loving all these examples, I think I'm set to post my first entry on Sunday! Just letting the poem have one more rest before I "finalize" it!
Another great acrostic, D.K.! Simple yet powerful!
This was so good - and your commitment to making vocal an even stronger community really shines through. Great stuff DK.
This was so good! It's amazing how seamless your acrostics are. Such a powerful piece and it's heightened by how naturally it flows!
Dear D - I've missed U'z since I, and many others, were frozen out of Vocal - of course for our own good! Hmm! * Dk - It was a real "Roller-Coaster-Ride." The VSS folks had been so dedicated getting us back online with their camaraderie; what a terrific group! j.in.l.a.
Well-wrought, D.K.! There is a distinction, I think, between pride and arrogance. Pride gives us the impetus to continue to better ourselves, whereas arrogance makes us believe we are already good enough. A lot of folks here are proud of you for standing up for what's right, and rightly so!
I like the personal attachment in this. I think you pointed out many concerns we all have.
This is great. Monster or martyr? I'd say it depends on what side of the reader sits on. I'd say martyr.
I second Rachel, this was a really good one! You’ve had a lot of great stuff in this one!
You have never been so succinct or powerful (perhaps) than with this stunning acrostic, DK. Like John, I'm not sure whether the story behind this and it does seem like a story would behind it, is about you doing something wrong or perceived to be wrong, but maybe we're wrong. This is just sublime either way and I especially love (as you might have guessed) the lines Am I the monster or the first martyr? Let the writers of history decide That's true of so many people and things. Well done!
This piece makes me think about how subjective the idea of vindication is. It's like we often want to be seen as right, but it can get all mixed up with our egos. I wonder how history really decides who's a martyr and who's a monster. And that bit about deleting the Google Form section due to reinvention - it shows how things can change quickly in the digital world. What are your thoughts on this?
<3
I feel like there is an elusive story hidden in these verses, DK. Kind of hard for me to imagine you guilty of some egregious literary offense! Perhaps a martyr in the war with AI on Vocal?
Shame you can't enter your own challenge with this nugget. Nicely done.