Punctuation
Punctuation
Punctuation is the tiny traffic crew
inside every sentence
a comma waves one orange cone
and says
slow down
take a breath
don’t crash your ideas together
a period sits at the end
like a calm serious button
saying
we’re done here
you can rest now
question marks curl like curious cats
tilting their heads
asking
are you sure
what do you mean
what happens next
exclamation points jump up and down
like popcorn in a pan
like a kid who just heard ice cream is for dinner
they cannot whisper
they only shout
quotation marks are little arms
lifting someone else’s voice
holding it gently in the air
so it doesn’t fall
parentheses are secret pockets
tucked into a sentence’s jacket
where extra thoughts hide
like snacks saved for later
a colon stands like a doorway
ready to introduce something important
drumroll in two dots
a semicolon is a thoughtful pause
not quite stopping
not quite going
like standing in the middle of a bridge
deciding which way to look
and me
I am the builder
placing each tiny sign
each signal
each pause and pop and whisper
until the sentence doesn’t just speak
it moves
breathes
dances in the right places
and all the little marks
no bigger than crumbs
turn into a map
that helps every word
find its way
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This poem is from "A Kid's Guide to Writing Poetry" by Christopher Reilley hopefully coming to an educational system near you. I'm sharing because of a timely prompt by those right-on-time (punctual, get it?) folks over at DVerse Poets Pub.
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Very cool poem and i especially like the verse about quotation marks
ReplyDeleteWell done! I love the way you personalize each punctuation mark giving it life.
ReplyDeleteeric here. clever. love the idea of sentences wearing jackets
ReplyDeleteTimely indeed! I love that question marks curl like curious cats, and that a colon is a drumroll in two dots.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably more interesting and fun than the English classes that I teach! The kids seem to know how to use punctuation most of the time, though, as with everything, they are lazy to do it. Excellent write Chris 👏
ReplyDeleteI love the thought of a tiny traffic crew inside every sentence, Chris, the question marks curling like curious cats, and the parentheses – ‘secret pockets tucked into a sentence’s jacket’. My grandson would love this poem too.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great poem and fun to use educationally. So many adults still do not know how to use punctuation - a great idea for a poem💞Suzanne
ReplyDeleteWell-examined, Chris. I may have ice cream for dinner!
ReplyDelete