A.R. Ammons: Poems

Poetic style

Ammons commonly writes in two- or three-line stanzas, in which lines are unrhymed and strongly enjambed.[22] Some of Ammons's poems are as short as one to two lines—a form known as monostich.[23] Others, like Ammons's book-length poems Sphere, Tape for the Turn of the Year, and Garbage, are hundreds of lines long.[24]

Ammons is noted for his idiosyncratic, minimalist approach to punctuation.[2] The colon is Ammons "signature" punctuation mark, which he employs in many contexts to divide clauses while delaying a definitive end.[22] Leery of terminal punctuation, Ammons avoids ending poems with periods. Instead, some poems end in ellipses, or in no punctuation at all.[22]


This content is from Wikipedia. GradeSaver is providing this content as a courtesy until we can offer a professionally written study guide by one of our staff editors. We do not consider this content professional or citable. Please use your discretion when relying on it.