Ode to the Semicolon

Below is a poem I wrote while in college but I've never done anything with it. Ruthless critique encouraged. Ego stroking accepted. Thanks for reading!


Ode to the Semicolon

The semi colon is a double edged sword:
it unites; it divides.
The semicolon is the esoteric symbol
which brings together the elite who know and can apply its function;
the semicolon is the eighth grade English class exercise
printed in the book at the gates of heaven,
where it will divide the souls who can make the ultimate transition
from those who choose the terminal destiny of a period.

The semicolon is the bivalve in the brimming ocean of punctuation.
It’s clauses connect like shimmering shells,
while it sits in the center—
a muscle admiring its beautifully balanced sides.

Bipeds who do not know the proper use of this prodigious piece of punctuation
should seek alternate means of marrying closely related independent clauses
in order to avoid inbred sentences.