Life’s punctuation, by Britta Benson

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Life’s punctuation

Life has funny ways 
of punctuating days.

Sometimes I sense the question mark 
deep in my heart,
when I really need 
an exclamation of certainty!
But no. 
Doesn’t show.

Sometimes I feel sure, 
confident, 
this is my moment,
only to have my bold
statement of intent
put into speech marks,
you know the ones 
made with fingers,
a ‘did you really mean that’,
scratched in the air,
eyebrows raised,
tut, tut.

Sometimes I hope 
for a comma,
a continuation,
then realize 
there has to be a full stop.
Non negotiable,
no back door,
no trap door,
deeds done,
moving on.

Life starts new paragraphs,
just like that,
uninvited,
while I still try to cling on
to old sentences.

Life turns pages
on the dot,
ready or not.

I often don’t like
life’s semicolons, 
periods and question marks.

I remember my English teacher saying:
‘Stop complaining about the rules.
They are what they are.
Now get on with the job.
It’s for your own good!’

That’s how I learned
you can’t argue 
with life’s punctuation.

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