Commas

As hard nosed as I usually seem and hope to be, I have at times found I have a softer, more civilized side that seeps through at any opportunity I allow. This manifests itself in many ways; through photography, through woodworking, through writing and occasionally (though a part of me is loath to admit it) through poetry. I love seeking attention for the first three of that list, but the last is usually hidden away for only myself, or a select few, to enjoy.

Today is different, though. I have a poem to share. It is not a conventional poem, nor in any way sentimental. I think in style and mode (is that a poetry word?), it should be a perfect fit for the type of information I hope to be disseminating through this blog. But first, a preface.

I was attempting to stay hip amongst my contemporaries by keeping up to date on Facebook. (Yes, I know that Facebook is so May 2009 and to truly be 'in the now', one must Twitter! Not me, though.  I'm too stuck in the ways I began all the way back in early August.) In one post, a 'friend,' let's call him Mr. Randy, made a comment about commas, something to the effect of "you can use them anywhere." I was thusly reminded of the poem I hope to share with you (I say hope, knowing you may currently be thinking, "A poem about commas? I wonder what's on my Twitter account!") Having realized that, I will quickly draw this to a conclusion and share what I first promised in reply to Mr. Randy's post. (True to my rebel roots, the poem follows no antiquated form, but rather reads much like a sentence. I guess it is only a poem in name.)

Commas
by Mike Hofner

I, Mike, overuse commas, or those little, hook-shaped, punctuation marks which divide ideas, thoughts, or items in a list, in all my writings, sentences, and even poems, such as this.

(Yes, Mrs. Englishteacherwhoisreadingmyblog, the comma after 'hook-shaped' is wrong. Strangely, while the comma before the second 'or' was necessary when I was a child, it has since become an uncouth usage. But if I corrected what I wrote so many years ago, it would tear at the very essence of the poem. Please don't give me an F!)