Fun with Punctuation

Semi-colon ( ; )

Half period; half comma;
Can’t make up its mind.
Links kissing cousins like a daisy chain.
Dances with them what brung it.

Colon ( : )

Dot over dot, then:
Item comma item comma and item period,
like boxcars following an engine:
Count, them, if, you, please.
Play, the, radio, while, they, paaaaaassssssss.

Ellipsis ( . . . )

Space dot space dot space dot space.
. . . may I also add . . .
. . . not quite finished . . .
Ellipsis . . . elapses . . . potatoes . . . potahtoes.

Quotation Marks ( “ —- ” )

Do not kiss.
Do not shake hands, Embrace
“These words,” not those.

Exclamation Mark ( ! )

FIRE!
EARTHQUAKE!
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! One ! will do.

Dash ( — )

Do not run, lope, or gallop,
But dash—
100 meters—400 meters—
Dash a little—dash a lot—
Dash along—“and to all a goodnight.”

Question Mark ( ? )

Are we there yet?
May I be excused?
Do I have to?
What? When? Where? Which? Who? Whom? Whose? Why? How old am I?
How much do you weigh?

Parentheses ( ___ )

Shelter(s) for s(s).
For when a dash calls in sick.
It’s been so long (20 months) since we saw you,
(As if anyone cares.)
Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller (an FBI appointee),
Going boldly where no man has gone before.

Comma ( , )

A dot, with a tail,
A pause at the end of a clause. Never comes first;
Never comes last.
A yellow light—
(Not green, not red.)
Hesitate, then speed up,
Can pop up inappropriately.

Period ( . )

Dot.
That’s all.
A dot.
Stops the traffic. Stops the train. Stops a sentence!