Dot Dot Dot

Anderson Cooper
came by my house 
to repair
the busted slats
on my back fence
and to tell me 
I use too many
ellipses
in my writing.
 
I told him
I use ellipses
because I like them!—
but I told him
not in a “I’ll do what I want”
kind of way.
I told him 
in an apologetic, “See,
I have my reasons”
kind of way.
 
As I watched myself
on the dreamscape
I was embarrassed.
Even asleep
I am mousy,
though I do like 
that my reason was
“because I like them,”
because, damn it, 
that’s reason enough.
 
Later
in the waking world
I looked up
the word 
ellipsis
and the dictionary
said those
three little dots
are used to indicate
an omission
like when quoting
a long passage
and you cut out
the fat
and leave the meat.
 
But when I want
to use an ellipsis
it’s always at the end
of a sentence
to indicate
possibility
“to be continued”
a promise of
more to come
 
like the time
I told my mom
I was so bogged down
writing reports
and lessons plans
and collecting data
I was afraid
I’d forgotten
how to write poetry.
 
She said,
“It will come back.”
 
In the dream
when I was standing
in her yard
amid the camellias
and hydrangeas
talking to Anderson Cooper,
three twinkling lights
dot dot dot
flashed
at our feet
in the soft grout
outlining the creamy 
patio tiles.
“Did you see that?” I exclaimed.
“Did you see that?”

Photo by Jason Weingardt