“semicolon” by Anya Baldus

my favorite punctuation mark is a semicolon

connecting the overwhelming thoughts in my brain with a dot and a dash

oversimplified feelings are a comfort to me

when i think of her all i think of is that semicolon

a guessing game made from the loudest exclamation points in my head

each with a screaming thought about her 

a chest ache grows as the exclamation points yell

her hair is so pretty! she laughs at my jokes!

she sits on the phone with me! she tells me i’m special!

even good feelings are too much for someone who 

can’t decide if they have too little or too many

i replace the exclamations with a semicolon

and search for the period that goes at the end

Anya Baldus is a student in LSA, from Lansing, Michigan, currently working towards an English major and Music minor. Much of their poetry inspiration comes from aspects of their identity – their ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and past significant experience all play a role in their creative works.