And The Winner Is . . . [by Stacey Harwood]

A couple of weeks we posted about Grammar Girl's "Ode to a Punctuation Mark" contest in honor of National Punctuation Day (September 24).  Here is my winning ode:

Ode to the Comma

The female body part of punctuation,
So tiny, yet able to arouse such aggravation.
The comma slips in under the quotation,
Tells you when to pause for reflection,
Then plunge ahead to the period’s conclusion.
Neglect it at your peril: accusations,
law suits, wars. Nations
fall. Pretend it doesn’t exist at all? Risk condemnation.
Treat it right for absolution.
That’s right, put it there: Yes, oh, yes . . . satisfaction.

Read the other winners here.