Ode to the & sign (the ampersand)

4,057 letters in lines 
enemy of lines 
enemies in lines 
enemies waiting in lines 
scrolls and conch shells,   
    the possibilities are many 
    that reading out loud verges into one 
    tones change and modulate 
    like strung out “and” signs: &&& 
three men sitting drinking tea with both hands 
perhaps they are under a tree on a hot August day 
or in lines with feet shackled in a jail somewhere 
getting that bit of sustenance or at a temple 
just before prayer time: three Buddhists sipping tea




-----------
see the original text published in Zygote in my Coffee.




-----------
this poem can be found also in my book, Ten Poems and Ampersands, available from Coatlism Press.