Misplaced Punctuations

 

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I was once a pointless sentence, devoid of meaning

But then I learned I had to mean something…

 

I analyzed my syntax, as well as my words;

The turn of my phrases, the semantics of my world.

I looked into my clauses, and probed my conjunctions

Only then did I see everything was skewed:

Something was wrong with my punctuations.

 

I put a comma where I should have put a period

So I simply paused, instead of having discontinued.

I put a question mark where life put an exclamation point

So I worried where I should have rejoiced.

Something was wrong with my punctuations.

 

I put a possessive mark where there should have been none

So I acquired things I could do better without;

I put a period where a semi-colon would have been enough

So where I should have simply paused, I completely stopped.

Something was wrong with my punctuation marks.

 

I put a parenthesis where a bracket would have been better

So I excluded the things life considers to truly matter.

I put an ellipsis denoting there were things I omitted

Not realizing they were the lessons I should have studied.

Something was wrong with my punctuation marks.

 

I dashed when all I had to do was simply walk;

I slashed when the right thing to do was patch things up.

I was misquoted as saying something I did not voice out;

I was misunderstood, my intent was not clear enough.

Something was wrong with my punctuation marks.

 

I’m striving to edit my life and rewrite my sentences

Trying to put my punctuations in their proper places.

When the One who lent me my pen evaluates my phrases

And finds my punctuations already well-placed

May He include them in His journal of meaningful pieces.

 

 

Based from my earlier poem, Where I Belong

 

Also inspired by Corazon Quiamas’ You and I poem, and by the Joel Osteen quote, “Do not put a question mark where God put a period.”

 

//Sherma E. Benosa

04 June 2008; 11:48am