Poetry workout
Be aware of how punctuation affects your poems, suggests Doris Corti
Punctuation is something often used instinctively rather than as a poetic device.
It is, however, something that helps to control a poem, encompassing both line units and the music.
It can be omitted and sometimes is by contemporary poets who may feel that a poem stands on its own assets of language and imagery and that pauses will develop naturally if the poem is laid out in a given way.