Punctuates Poems | Examples

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In the quiet still
in the sable night

dreamy dotted with
punctuates of light

I recall
my youthful days:

no balcony too steep
nor high – those I could
not climb, then~ simply I 
would fly

Wanted: old Juliet, with
sympathetic elevator --

Burlesque Bernadette

Flagrant bird Bernadette feathery flair flamboyant
     Towers over average plumage 
     Parades tassle twist pantomime pow wow warbonnet
     Cascade costume illuminating

    
     Cheyenne crowned showgirl, a flurry of torso tumult
     Statuesque neck festers fatalism 
     Stiletto weapon punctuates staid with societal revolt
     Rouses a Lady Marmalade rythm 


     Elusive vermilion mouth majestic Bernadette buxom 
     Slinks sequined by beside suited
     Patrons in shadow of taboo troublesome seduction
     Stubble rub struggle translucent 


    Sashaying aves, aloof eaglet suspended in feminine 
    Bouyant slow swirl drape tailed koi
    Hypnotic bronzed bends transmit treacle pheromone
    Concocts a carbonated cider void 






          26th June Too sexy!

How a Perfunctory Poet Punctuates a Piece

A period here. a question mark there?
A handful of commas,,,tossed in the air
To fall all willy-nilly but he doesn't care.
Then he closes his eyes so he never sees,
And does it again with apostrophe's.

Next colons: and semis; are put through their paces,
And are frequently found in the oddest of places.
Quotations are more than just dressing or stuffing,
Yet often appear when "nobody said nuffing".

It makes reading a chore just to try to adhere
To a writer's directions of what to do where,
But you barrel on through 'til you get to the end,
Give your eyes time to uncross,
And then try it again.

Some poets abjure punctuation, for sure,
And though not a big fan,
I'm a reasonable man.
e e cummings, for example,
Responds to the call
By using little or no punctuation at all.

Author's note: To quote the author Cormac McCarthy: "If you write properly you shouldn't have to punctuate." Poets such as e e cummings, et al, apparently took him up on that. Please understand, dear reader, that this piece is punctuated incorrectly to make a point. And I blush to admit that I, myself, am overly fond of "quotation marks" and…ellipses.

Different Kinds of Quiet

The squawk of seagulls punctuates
The quiet by the beach,
Yet the lack of other noises 
Makes relaxing within reach.

The wail of sirens doesn’t let 
The city quiet stay,
For even in the early morn
The noisiness holds sway.

The chirp of crickets syncopates
The rhythm of the night,
So the quiet of the countryside
For dominance must fight.

A library or hospital,
Both recognized for quiet,
May hush incoming visitors 
But I don’t really buy it.

For there are hums and whispers,
Of machinery or voice,
Which may pierce the silence and confirm 
That quiet’s not a choice.

Maybe outer space is different,
But on earth I will refute
Any claim that there’s a place to go
Where quiet’s absolute.

The Smarter Man

We take great pride in our knowledge
Each generation thinking they are smarter than the ones before
The problem, it's a subjective egocentric perspective
There's an air arrogance that's hard to ignore

Modern man truly thinks he is smarter
Than all the greats who have been adored 
They self-righteously say “they were ignorant”
“We are more sophisticated than ever before”

We see religions following cultures
Science has become subjective, selling feelings as facts
It appears man is the true measure of all things
We’re creating a world we can't give back

So, how do we overcome a life
Where we say we're blessed, yet in so much pain
The level of arrogance and avoidance
Punctuates the fact - most people never change

We've come to a precipice
Do we climb the mountain, or be content as life goes by?
We have to be willing to pay the consequences
Sit on our ass, or intentionally engage in life

Like an hourglass of sand
Who’s tiny grains have run dry
We can only hope for a better day
Perhaps we’ll have another try?

Clusters

CLUSTERS
 a retrospective
repurposed
in
  colour
transformations
identified
& sampled

the
meticulous
punctuates
the
fascinating
variety
&scope

continuing
in
 the
relished
lyrical
tradition
with
bewildering
narratives
&
excess

NOTE:THIS IS AN OPEN(organic) FORM VERSE   using spaces&breaks without grammatical symbols ,the ' open' relies upon 'the one breath limitation' & so inherently requires the 'reader' (reciter) to input and responds thus making this enigmatic form a two way interplay & interpretatIon unique to the moment& changing according to mood is inherently variable.
Copyright © Brian Strand

Voice, Crying

A piercing cry punctuates the silence
Make way
Pierced side and hands and feet
Pricks ears, pierces hearts
Unquenchable fire, unquenchable love
A wilderness wasteland or a narrow path
Choose this day, give your ears to hear
And live

Paw

My cat's P's of poetry – 
punctuates everything I write
with a paw; when I'm composing, he slaps
at my pencil with...you guessed it, 
his paw – yesterday, the fan blew my 
precious creation, off of the miracle table, 
and onto the resident predator's territorial floor; 
followed by a savage attack: and yep!--a 
shameless clawing paw. Let me share with you, our latest
collaboration: 
                     Paw, 
                Paw, 
                       Paw, 
                  Paw.....

Sounds Squirm Up

Rain-steps publish worms,
wriggles scribe themselves.
The thrown thud of a newspaper
punctuates the wet and written.
Sparrows scrawl and scrabble,
foraging starlings attack the earth
sounds squirm up,
muddy scripts are picked at, edited
a door slams,
the ground rewrites itself.

High Desert Scene

Rolling hills dim in the distance
Beneath low-hovering mists,
While an occasional stand of pines
Punctuates the shallow canyon rim,
The steppes to the summit appear
Like wrinkles carved into the face
Long ago, the sharp outcropping defines
A deep crevice plunging sharply
Toward the foreground in shadows,
Vanishing into imagined darkness.

written August 10, 2021
(inspired by the scenic view on a
screen-saver, location unknown)

Warfare's Veto

subtitled:  Lyrics by Lamoureux


He writes upon his poet's harp complex chords of life, 
motivational music to halt us
from following malicious men -
fractured minds of mankind.
He writes peaceful melodies to soothe restless thoughts;
He write knowing only a few will sing.

The lyrics of the hopeful striving for upswing
find like voices in those who untie knots
from threads miserably entwined.
His voice punctuates with his pen,
joining writers prepared to oppose injustice
while harping on the foibles of strife.

Richard plays warfare’s veto on drum and fife,
combatting behavior that’s treasonous.
Bias seen time and time again,
protest throngs unaligned.
He notes unfair sanctions on free speech and boycotts;
He composes words to caution our offspring.


January 30, 2021

edited slightly for dramatic monologue
contest: My Significant 2021 Poem
sponsor:  Beata Agustin

contest:  Political Verse
sponsor:  Richard Lamoureux

originally written for
contest:  My Invented Form - I Write Upon
sponsor:  Constance LaFrance

Haiku Path 6

Evening breeze 
Dry cool comfort;
Punctuates hazy day

~~~~~~~~~


Busy feet pound
Park walkway path;
Morning work rush

~~~~~~~~~


Birdsong echoes
Dawn salute;
Morning Glory flowers

~~~~~~~~~


Food paradise
Spoilt for choice;
Same old dish

~~~~~~~~~


Scented perfume
Floral sensations;
Charming delights

~~~~~~~~~


Promenade walkway
Airy seaside smells;
Evening serenade

~~~~~~~~~


Abrupt dusk
Darkness blankets;
Eyes stare blindly

~~~~~~~~~


Distant afterglow
Moist evening sky;
Hint of rain

~~~~~~~~~


Words slip away
Memory loiters brief;
Lost sad story

~~~~~~~~~




Leon Enriquez
20 September 2019
Singapore

Ribbon My Special Child Deserves

Jubilant gratitude* cheer
Punctuates name announcement…
“That’s my boy!”

Bright triumphant countenance
Unstoppable joyous clapping…
Accompanies ribbon-pinning.

“Most Grateful” award
Highlights virtuous trait…
Special kid’s goodness.

Ribbon of honour
Beautifies his shirt…
Wondrous mirth-source.

Midst sign-language
He delightfully enthuses… 
“Thank You, LORD!”

*2Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord…

March 27, 2019

3rd place, "RIBBON" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Line Gauthier; judged on 3/31/2019.

The Slamming Door

I tried to hold onto you but could not—
You slipped through my fingers as water will
When run through a sieve. And how like the plot
Of some dime-store pulp it all seems now -- shrill

Yet so furtive.  I tried to be humble,
To seem nonchalant; but came off shallow,
Unfocused, both surprised when you’d grumble
And childishly petulant and callow,

I’m embarrassed to confess. Now you’ve left:
No chance now of reconciliation;
No excuses now, howsoever deft, 
No third party’s neat adjudication

Can heal the rift between us anymore. 
Nothing tastes so bitter as one’s own words,
Or punctuates quite like the slamming door, 
No matter how tenaciously one girds

Oneself to bear the shock.  Regret may well
Be futile, but it’s hard indeed to take--
Like some malignant fairy’s baleful spell
Which no consoling words can ever break.


NB: The word "not" in the first line is meant to be stressed.

The Fade

By Mark Miller © 03/19/2012
	
Misuse decay's from inside-
Scripture beats on lies of crimes in an early sunshine-
Empty life leaves scratch the willow sallow-
Warning day o' coming washes man's sins forgiven

Lukewarm sadness punctuates inert organs of pain-
Haunt of madness catches so slow below us-
None seen -none heard a creature hides behind-
 Battle bow of bones in time, all life folds above us sweet exodus

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