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This week: Punctuation in Poetry Edited by: Crys-not really here  
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Punctuation in Poetry
When it comes to whether or not poetry should have punctuation, there are generally two beliefs: 1) Poetry should always be properly punctuated and 2) Poetry doesn't always have to use punctuation. Although I am from the camp that says poetry doesn't always need to be punctuated, I also believe that poetry that is should be consistent and accurate throughout.
Imagine you're reading a novel and suddenly the author decides to stop using periods, or to use commas where periods should be. You'd be pretty lost, right? That's why it confuses me when poets think they can change the rules of grammar in poetry. It's one thing to use the absence of punctuation as a device (see the work of e.e. cummings for great examples), but it's another thing to use some punctuation marks and not others. It makes a poem seem sloppy and the poet careless, and it could lose some readers in the process.
Here are some basic punctuation rules that I often see broken in poetry, and my reasoning behind why they should be fixed:
 Using commas where periods should go. A comma indicates a short pause. A period indicates a longer pause. Unless you're using no punctuation whatsoever, or beginning the next line with a conjunction such as "but," a line should end in a period. Commas should not be used to connect two independent clauses, such as "Johnny went to the store, Andy went to work." This is called a comma splice because each sentence can stand on its own with a period between them.
Over-using semi-colons, or using them improperly. Semi-colons should be used to separate two independent clauses, just as periods are. For example: "Jimmy went to the store. Andy went to work." or "Jimmy went to the store; Andy went to work."
Semi-colons aren't used very often in prose, probably because many people don't know how to use them properly, so I don't know why some poets tend to stick them in willy-nilly. I also think semi-colons look strange at the end of a line of poetry, but maybe that's just a personal preference of mine.
Using exclamation points and question marks, but not periods, commas, etc. This one really baffles me. Instead of using punctuation to create the proper pauses in a poem, poets who do this only draw attention to exclamation points and question marks, which to me just seem useless all on their own. It also makes me wonder sometimes if the poet actually knows how to use periods and commas.
Not using any punctuation at all, and then wondering why the reader is lost. If you don't use punctuation, but also don't use other methods to let the reader know when to slow down, stop, etc., then many readers are going to read your poem too quickly, or as one big sentence, and subsequently get lost. You can lessen the confusion by using carefully-chosen line and stanza breaks to create the illusion of a pause, but that's not always fool-proof either.
These are just some of the most common punctuation errors I see in poetry. Remember, when you share your poetry, even if it's just on WDC, it is no longer written just for you. Your audience must be able to understand your words as well. One of the best tricks I have learned over the years is to read a poem aloud in order to see if it sounds the way you intended. Pay attention to the pauses created by commas and periods. You may be surprised about how different it sounds aloud than in your head!
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Thanks to everyone who wrote in about my last Poetry Newsletter, which was on Confessional Poetry! Some of your comments are below.
Awesome, not much of a poetry person, but I am compelled now to read some of Sylvia Plath's work because I see it all the time in the online library I visit. I read Robert E. Howard (Conan) and he gave up poetry because it wasn't paying, but when I read his stories they read like poetry, and I believe his characters are all creations of a person who was bullied and not much of a ladies man. His stories read like prose and are great, perhaps from his poetry writing background. I know that went off track, but makes me wonder, if his stories were a confession of his life, with a hero to reverse the problems he encountered. -Mark Allen Mc Lemore 
Hi Crys-not really here !
I really enjoyed this issue of the Poetry Newsletter.
I would say the the essay about Confessional Poetry isn't fully accurate. You only have to look at the work of the WWI poets such as Wilfred Owens, Siegfried Sassoon, John McCrae to see death -- including very violent death -- grief, loss and mourning were very much a part of poetry.
I do agree with you on the emphasis of devices/technique in Confessional Poetry, though. I always found it to be ironic that device was so important in this poetry subgenre, given the focus of its content.
Cheers! -Pita
Then maybe it's more accurate to say that poets like Plath put a name to this subgenre of poetry? |
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Poetry: July 17, 2013 Issue [#5777]
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