Aeras’ Section:
The ways in which we read punctuation may differ significantly from reader to reader. When I am reading a poem, I read the punctuation as a part of the words, inseparable when used well to the benefit of the piece (and highly irritating when it serves to impede the poem).
For this section I’d like to run through my take on using punctuation in poetry.
This section is highly subjective to my own experiences but finding the right punctuation is imperative if you plan to use it in your poetry. Each and every individual punctuation mark brings its own value to the table, and should be addressed according to how you want to convey your words beyond the words themselves.
The Period.
This is easily the most understandable punctuation mark. It creates a full-stop wherever it is used in a work of poetry and should be used to the effect of separating thoughts that are meant to be digested one at a time.
I’ve seen it commonly used at the end of a given stanza to wrap up that stanzas central thought.
Periods can also be the most distracting punctuation mark when used improperly.
The Comma,
Stands as, in my observation, the most used punctuation mark in poetic writing period. Comma’s, as Wordwhizz pointed out, are often used at the ends of lines and even then not always well.
When a comma is used at the end of a line, it should be due to the fact that the reader is not meant to directly continue on to the following line. In essence, the comma provides a very brief pause, a yield sign, if you will, so that the reader will check their speed and not proceed too quickly.
Comma’s should serve to separate thoughts that may be related but aren’t directly so.
Exclamation Marks!
Exclamatory punctuation can be tricky to master. If you use too long a line (or a stanza devoid of any punctuation until a final exclamation point), you may force the reader to re-read the line with the proper emotion in check. Exclamation marks should be used sparingly as well. It would become highly irritating very fast if every single line in a poem ended with an exclamation mark (although there are a few poems that may get away with this), especially if the lines were short.
My favorite use of exclamation points are typically in the middle of a line after an “Oh!” or other brief emotional outburst. They do signify a pause of sorts but the pause is so fleeting due to the emotion in toe that the reader progresses on with nary a thought to the impediment.
Especially when used effectively exclamations can add a deeper level of significance to a line than previously would have been present. They may also add merriment or amplify a statement intended to hold its key meaning through irony or sarcasm.
Sparingly is one of the best uses for the Exclamation Mark!
The Semi-Colon;
The semi-colon is one of those weird bits of punctuation whose purpose is a bit obscure. In prose, the semi-colon traditionally separates two related sentences (who may share a single subject) in order to prevent a run-on or extended sentence. In poetry, this issue is not as common and the punctuation mark is the awkward teenager of the bunch.
When reading poetry, I think of the semi-colon as a cautionary pause. Not a full-stop but something that signifies a distinct separation with the following thoughts or lines. To some degree it almost takes on the opposite role that it has in prose writing but I also do not always feel this is the case. The semi-colon is a subjective read for me and the way I handle it does change from time to time. This makes for a terrible discussion point, I know, but the semi-colon brings up mixed feelings on its true interpretation for me.
The Colon:
Far from being synonymous with the large intestine, the colon has a more definitive role in poetry. This punctuation mark should be used in a narrative sense such that if the narrator of the poem is about to list something, recount dialogue said by another, or tell an account of something that has happened (“And it went a little something like this:”).
The colon doesn’t announce a pause or the need for a reader to stop, but rather announces that “hey there’s something important or pivotal coming up so pay attention.” The following words may not always be as paramount to the story or plot in poetry as may be indicated by my previous statement, but in the end, this is the best functional use of the punctuation mark.
The Question Mark?
The Question mark is another piece of punctuation that should either be used very sparingly, or offensibly often in a given piece.
I’ve both written and read entire poems that were a single question, with the single question mark at the very end. This is an effective use. I have also seem poems that are composed of many little questions where each couplet of lines has a question mark. This can work if the subject matter lends well to such a format. It will not always work.
My personal favorite use of the question mark is for a si