Ode to $%@*!$^#

O, boldest, brightest, most courageous words,
You go beyond the norm, beyond polite
While reaching straight to points (profound, absurd):
So great your potential for verbal might.
So crisp and clean and consonant – so short
Yet strong in your economy and thrift
And ready for endless adaptation:
Fear, shock, or anger in one brief retort.
Revealing emotions – your greatest gift –
Makes you, forbidden, such a temptation.