The Editor Falls Asleep

 

When I studied grammar in my editing courses with Ryerson, this poem evolved and was subsequently published in our editors' 2006  Edition newsletter. It's still one of my poems that catches a playful spirit. Perhaps you have to be a grammarian to fully get it.

 

It was also published in What's Your Favourite Poem contest by Craigleigh Press in January 2006.

 

 

The editor falls asleep

 

grammar books next to her pillow,

she dreams of a party and invites all her friends:

 

coordinate adjectives do-si-do with the nouns,

arguing which one will lead, but verbs call the action

 

 parenthesis pairs waltz with quotation mark couples

 with strings of words, like secrets, between them

 

high-flying apostrophes flirt with its and with s’s

amusing the audience, embarrassing the hosts

 

reds, whites, and blues, and their serial cousins

converse with Sir Oxford, that old dashing fellow

 

fanboys join independents in convivial laughter

grabbing Em Dash, the wallflower, to join in the fun

 

a carload of commas drop in for a drink – then trouble begins

they cavort with the phrases and mix all the meanings

 

Fowler and Follet step off of the shelves

evict rude apostrophes, rout embarrassing commas

 

period, that endpost, puts a stop to the dance,

exclamation mark joins him, like a ringing alarm

 

the editor wakes, a book indenting her cheek

Fowler and Follet won’t ever be bedfellows again!

 

 

- published  Edition March 2006

 

 

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