The Thoughtless Writer’s Sentence

A sentence lost its period and therefore couldn’t end.

He worried ‘bout connection to thoughts that didn’t blend.

He wanted his coherence; he wanted back his dot,

and wondered if indeed there’d been a period-napping plot.

Desperate to find answers, he called up his old friends.

First he called dear Question Mark who questioned without end.

“Who?”and“What?”and“Where?”and“Why?” were all his pal would say,

just questions but no answers, so soon he said, “Good-day.”

He then called Exclamation Mark to find out any news,

but this became a great mistake as this mark blew a fuse.

He screamed and yelled and hollered lots and acted like a bomb,

so Sentence then remembered, his friend was never calm.

Next he called Quotation Marks, who live right on his block;

as always they were full of news and quoting all the talk.

They gossiped till he thought he’d scream, as what they did repeat

told nothing of the missing dot that made him feel complete.

Now Semi-colon was concerned about the clause’s woe

and worried that his own dear dot might someday up and go.

He hadn’t seen the missing mark, but offered Sentence this —

to join him to another clause so dot he wouldn’t miss.

Parentheses too did their best and offered special aid,

to wrap themselves ‘round Sentence, whose status then would fade.

Yet Sentence had an ego, Parentheses couldn’t feed;

with them he’d be an extra – he wanted to play lead!

The desperate clause a mad thought had so Ellipses he soon phoned.

He asked the trio for one dot; in answer, they just groaned.

“We’d never work again, you know; a threesome we must be.

Omitting is our passion, but not one dot from three.”

It’s sad to say this story’s end is not a happy one,

as right into another clause, the dotless clause did run.

From that day on all sense was lost as wording sounded crazy.

People read, but no one knew, for thoughts, at best, were hazy.

So don’t forget your periods to show where thoughts do end.

Yes, punctuation is to words their very dearest friend.

Without these marks amongst the words, sense will surely fail,

and nonsense is the sentence in the thoughtless writer’s jail.