The Stop Family

"I'm a dot with a quirk," whispers little Miss Comma,

"And you'll please not to pause long for me."

"I'm a dot over Comma," says Miss Semicolon,

"And you'll pause twice as long where I be."



"I am dot over dot," Master Colon speaks out,

"You'll pause longer for me than they say:"

"I am one dot alone," Period says with a tone

That means: "Stop when you see me obey!"
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"I'm a hook over dot," says Dame Interrogation,

"I ask questions; but answer? O, nay!"

"I'm a splash over dot," says old Sir Exclamation;

"I show wonder, delight, or dismay!"



"I'm a line east and west," says Miss Dash, "and I'm best

At changing of subjects, you know."--

"I am Dash's small sister," says Hyphen, and kissed her;

"I unite words, or syl-la-bles, so."



Then said Marks of Parenthesis (carefully curved),

"We inclose what you well may omit;

But we're often displaced by Miss Dash (in your haste),

Whom you sadly mistake for a wit."



Now Apostrophe, Caret, Quotation, exclaimed:

"We are commas and hyphens combined;

We leave out, or put in, or reveal to your kin

What you've said, when their backs you're behind."



Then Star, Daggers, Parallels, Paragraph too,

Started up, staring wildly about,

With "We rise to explain on the margin, 'tis plain,

Or to point a new paragraph out."



Of the whole Punctuation, each knew his own station.

Each did his own duty, we see;

If we do ours as well, and of their's, too, can tell,

We shall soon learn good readers to be.





* * * * *





"All is not gold that glitters;"

Yet think not, children mine,

That all that glitters is not gold;

The true must ring and shine.