Are the rules for using semicolons different for writing poetry than the rules for their use with just normal writing?
1 Answer
Jun 12, 2018
Yes. In poetry, there are no rules. A poem can use a semicolon in any way it wants. Often, if a poet uses a semicolon, the effect may be to provide a more emphatic pause than a comma or to give a sense of stasis like a period but instead using a semicolon to indicate a higher level of connection between the ideas it separates.
There is no guarantee a poetic semicolon is separating two independent clauses, as it should be used in prose (or "normal writing").
