Friday, May 27, 2011

Ode to the Period

I used to take you for granted;
You were just sort of there.
I used you countless times a day,
No gratitude did I bear.

But now I see your value.
I understand your worth.
While many consider you optional
I'm mourning because of your dearth.

And maybe I've made a mistake
by trying to write this in rhyme.
Because in this type of writing
I use you improperly half of the time.

But in other types of writing
You are the only one
Of punctuations marks, common and lesser used,
that keep sentences from over-run. (ning each other)

It's really very simple:
A tiny little dot
To separate my sentences
And make reading less headache-fraught.

Maybe it's about the order,
Organization and proper pace,
But judging by how my house looks
Those values don't hold a high place...

So I guess it's more about talking;
I'm pretty good at that.
I want to be read just the way that I sound
Not a jumble of words to fall flat.

I wish more people could understand
The service that you provide.
You're free, and you want to be used and loved
Statements happily you will divide.

But I must admit, you're a character.
I think that's your biggest flaw.
With limits on numbers of symbols we use
Your end of the deal is raw.

But still, I will never abandon you!
You mean too much to me.
You're worth every space that you take on the page,
As important as A, B or C.

note: this "poem" is the perfect example of exactly how poor my understanding of the usage of punctuation is, but the period? I'm pretty confident in my usage of that one. Dear, dear period.

12 comments:

Alison Wonderland said...

I saw "ode to the Period" and I expected something totally different. I was pleasantly surprised. And I completely agree. I have a friend who, I've learned, can not punctuate to save her life and I've had to stop reading her blog. I just couldn't take it.

Kazzy said...

Me too, Alison! LOL

It is always funny to read something where a writer does not use correct punctuation and the meaning gets very messed up.

Erin said...

You are very talented. And not just in a rhyming, poetry kind of way. I love your ode to a period.

Susan said...

With each new awesome post I keep expecting to see you with advertising links!
My favorite Punctuation mark is the ellipses, which is really just three periods in a row...

Carolyn V said...

*fingers snapping*

Love the poem Lisa! I had to read a ms of a friend who didn't use punctuation of any sort. I almost went crazy. She fixed it so I could continue. =D

Heidi said...

You. Are. Brilliant. (tho I expect I over-used the period in that statement)

Anonymous said...

Periods. Commons. Semi-colons. All are adored. I read recently that punctuation was invented because books were originally not meant to be read silently and that almost never were. Each comma or period was an indicator of how long a person should pause (or whatever was called for) when reading aloud to their friends/audiences. That's probably more common knowledge (and somewhat self-explanatory) but it struck me like lightning. I love punctuation. (But probably misuse it all the time. ;)

MelancholySmile said...

So glad that your poem wasn't about the OTHER period. :)

A few years ago, I was in a Gospel Doctrine class and someone told a story about misunderstanding a text message. She said, "How was I to know the difference between 'coming home now" and 'coming home, now?"

An old guy {honestly, like 90} muttered not-so-quietly, "It's called a comma."

I about died laughing.

Oh, that everyone loved punctuation!

Melanie Jacobson said...

HILARIOUS.

Nathan said...

Very nice poem. Now could you write one about the comma splice? That's been a real annoyance lately while I grade student work.

Lesley said...

I love punctation, and I love your poem.

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

I? LOVE you.

For serious.