Ampersand poems—what I call poems in which the ampersand (&) replaces every instance of the word and—piss me off. So I wrote this… 

Three little letters
replaced by a symbol

It doesn’t seem necessary—
well, not to me

It’s not a complicated concept
a technical term
or an especially difficult word

It’s a congenial word—
a joiner, a uniter

Some folks go to great lengths
to avoid it—but then why
call attention to it that way?

It’s not a bad word—
don’t be afraid to use it

Don’t be afraid to spell it out

It’s okay—really

(22 February 2018)