The Power of Punctuation
Project Semicolon; your story isn't over
During one of my recent prison visits with Chase, we had a long conversation about the many deep scars on his wrists, forearms, biceps, legs, and neck. For years—before and after the death of his family—Chase was a cutter, and had also attempted suicide multiple times. His last major attempt was the summer of 2018 after he’d started serving his three consecutive life sentences, and just a few months after we’d started writing letters. He’d dismantled a small, dull shaving razor and repeatedly slashed his arms and legs, and then cut his own throat. He was discovered seriously injured and bleeding, and was rushed to a prison hospital where he stayed for several days and received hundreds of stitches.
The scars he bears now are shocking to see at first—there are so many slash marks across nearly every inch of his arms, and a long pale line stretches from one side of his throat to the other. His body has become a map of his internal pain and mental torture.
Within all these scars marring his body are two tiny tattoos. One is a small, simple cross on the outside of his hand in the webbing between his thumb and index finger—a sign of his continued spiritual beliefs—and the other is on the inside of one wrist. A small semicolon.
When I asked him about it, he said it’s the universal symbol for suicide survivors—people who have contemplated or attempted suicide but survived, and also for anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide. That tiny tattoo opened up an important conversation between me and Chase about his experiences with major depression and suicide ideations, and I learned a lot from him about living in despair, in emotional and mental pain that feels like it will never end, and how it can drive someone to do anything to put an end to the suffering.
After our visit, I was curious to learn more about this “Project Semicolon” and did an internet search where I discovered the idea was started by a young woman named Amy Bluel in 2013 as a tribute to her father who had died by suicide ten years earlier.
As a writer, grammar is part of my daily work, and I know the power a single piece of punctuation can have on a sentence. A semicolon is a punctuation mark indicating a pause, typically between two main clauses, that is more pronounced than a comma.
In life, in mental health, a semicolon is also a pause. A separation between two main clauses, the before and after.
A pause.
Not a period.
A pause for those who chose to continue their sentence.
A pause for those who survived an attempt to end their sentence.
A pause to remember those whose sentences did end with a period.
And an invitation to talk openly with someone about mental health, suicide, and suicide prevention without shame and stigma. To support those we love, and whose stories we want to continue.
Today, the semicolon has become the logo for mental health awareness and suicide prevention around the globe. About Project Semi-Colon, Amy Bluel said, “People want to know they’re not suffering in silence, you feel alone like no one cares, to know someone is there, that is what these people go forth with, they take this energy to better themselves. I think it’s just opening the minds of society. I would hope through my stories and platforms that they would see these are everyday people, just like you, and they’re attempting to make their lives better, but here is what they struggle with.”
As September ends and Suicide Awareness Month comes to a close, I hope we can keep this important conversation going throughout the year, with a semicolon, and not a period.
If you or someone you love is struggling with depression, anxiety, or thoughts of suicide, visit Kids Health, or visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline website, or call or text 988. You can also take your teen to a hospital emergency room or call 911.
To learn more about Project Semicolon, visit their website.
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Please keep educating myself and hopefully many more. When no one cares any more, the human spirit is broken. Thankyou Kali.
Thanks so much for this and for the work you do.