Is And/&, And Or &? Poem by Louisa Rogers

And.
A word, a symbol.
A word & a symbol?
Not sure really -
I never saw it have much importance.

But it does. So much.

It can be said in different tones:
Tones to start connecting things.
Tones to end, finalise connecting things.
It does a lot of that. Connect.

People use it to link together words, senctences; phrases.
It's used at the ends of lists, between the last two words instead of a comma.

If it's a symbol, surely it has to symbolise something.
With that, one of it's most important roles, I think, are amongst wedding vows. Traditional or not.
Traditionally, they don't sound much different without that word:

I _____, take you ______, to be my lawfully wedded wife/husband. To have; to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness; in health, to love; to cherish 'till death do us part.

- it just sounds a bit more long winded really.

Non-traditional vows could sound like something as simple as this:

'You're the most amazing person I've ever met. You lift me up even when I don't think it's possible to float any higher. You are beautiful, smart, funny, sexy, with some more beautiful; I love you.'

I think in this case, taking the symbol out takes out the emphasis of the 3 words that follow; it's so much more important than the rest of what's on the list.

Where the semi-colons - these; not these: - are, are where the word should be; throughout this whole poem actually.
Did you see that one?
I think you're getting it now.

Some things don't make sense without it.
Some things do.
It depends on how important you let it be.

Tell me, let me know:
Could you live life without that word?
That symbol, sorry?

What is it again?



Written 10-01-11