A poem expressing my sentiments about ampersands in poetry—in lines of five syllables each (I don’t know why)…

Every ampersand
is a grain of sand
digging into skin
like small shards of glass

It’s not musical
not a treble clef
it’s a substitute
for a simple word—
for a basic word
that has no need for
simplification
or substitution
in most sentences

If words are your craft
do not be afraid
to use all the words
even the small words
even that basic word

It’s not hard to spell…

(30 March 2018—posted March 31st)