Poetry Signed
The Em sign in poetry?
Is it correct to place the — sign in order to add detail to a piece of poetry, as if starying away from the topic?
like:
We should buy a small apartment
and recreate our lives in it-
handing up posters of who knows what,
adding little pictures,
just to have a place for ourselves.
Pretty good question. One answer is that if dashes were good enough for Emily Dickinson, they ought to be good enough for you 
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
On the other hand, few other poets have done this (especially as well as Dickinson). If it gives you any insight, Dickinson’s editors (after her death) removed most of the dashes and also many of her confusing phrases, thinking them to be errors or just poor judgment. It was only in the 1950′s that her work was restored to the original in published editions.
Most poets prefer more traditional punctuation. As in prose, it is intended to keep readers on the right track.
The rule? Well, in poetry you have license to break the rules–but only with good reason.
Best wishes!
Out of the Depths BSL Poetry
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