Direct speech in verse.

[Stephen Whiteside]

You could always settle for a semi-colonoscopy, Manfred. It only costs half as much.

[manfredvijars]

Hmmm ... transversing the ascending AND descending looking for sigmoids ???

(either way it sounds painful Doc ... )

[Vic Jefferies]

Good On You Zondrae. The semi colon has two main uses: it can separate two closely linked main clauses of similar importance. It is used instead of a full stop or a word like and or but.
The semi colon is also used to separate items in a long list in place of a comma.

The colon is used to introduce an extensive list. For example the man's pocket contained: a handkerchief, house keys, coins, a comb...
Colons are always used when the list is laid out in a column.
The colon also goes between two main clauses to to introduce an explanation or summary of the first clause: We soon solved the mystery of the missing sausages: the dog had helped himself.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Too many sausages and not enough roughage: that explained the back-up in our poor dog's colon. (Sorry Vic. Couldn't resist.)

[Glenny Palmer]

Personally...the over-use of brackets drives me dotty. I was trying to read a novel a while back, that was littered with the bloody things, & I gave up in sheer frustration after about 4 pages. In considering why I was so unusually impatient, I questioned why brackets are used. Surely they are often to add an observation/element that had been left out of the sentence? Why would a ''writer'' do this? Why not construct the sentence/s to convey the full meaning? Laziness, or ineptitude? Or perhaps, a sordid need to drive readers to distraction.

When a bracketed observation appears I am required to ''put on hold'' the thread that I was following, and absorb the bracketed info, and then try to recall the original thread. This was making me work when I was trying to relax and enjoy. And so...after 4 pages of struggle I binned the flaming thing, and cursed the writer and the publisher.

As for the over-use of punctuation marks:
To me, the text, on the page, looks very similar, to a batch of ink splatters!!! I find them very distracting, and decidedly de-tracting...from the quality of the text!!!

[Zondrae]

Morning everyone,

I am a bit limited at the moment because my hubbie has used all our high speed 'gigs' looking about on e-bay.
So I'm on slow speed til 24th. Our 'bundle' only gives us 5 gigs per month.

Thank you. At last a sensible explanations of the use of the semi-colon and the colon! You (this is the collective use of the noun) have finally demystified it for me. I have taken notes to refer back to, if needed.

Glenny, I don't usually use brackets in poems, only in general emails or posts.

[Glenny Palmer]

Hey Zondraaae!
(That's not a mis-spell...it's just my excitement.) I did sound a tad churlish, eh? didn't mean to....just sooo crook with the dreaded fluuuu!!

Yep, I don't see them (brackets) quite as much in poems, thank heavens. They probably didn't bother me much when I was younger & less 'patience challenged'. Age is only for the brave, they say.
Re your gig thief...I am superbly pc literate & I reckon you should make a secret folder & hide a few gigs in that.

Oooh, I'm off back to my hot toddy & tissues.
Cheeers
Glenny