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Stop Thy Traffic!

The word “traffic” is etymologically linked to “trade” and “commerce”, the passing of one object for another. In Italian, “tranfricare” means to rub across, touch repeatedly, handle.

Why the sudden interest in “traffic”?

Shakespeare’s Sonnet #4:

For having traffic with thyself alone, 
Thou of thyself thy sweet self dost deceive. 

It doesn’t take much to understand what “traffic” means in this context. It’s an elegant substitution for “masturbation”.  “Traffic” has action, sight and oh, can we imagine the sound too?

Good for Shakespeare! He was trying to get the young man to plant his seeds instead of wasting them; not one, two, three, but four sonnets now. How many more on this topic did he go on?

Definition of “traffic” from: http://www.etymonline.com

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Old Forms, New Dare

Jannie Dresser started a poem a day internet class in January.  Every day she sent out a prompt.  I didn’t follow the prompts all of the time, as the ultimate goal of a prompt was to come up with a poem.  Occasionally Jannie asked for a sonnet, or rispetto.  When that happened I had no choice but to follow her instructions.

Fortunately the internet is full of information, and examples of structured verse are readily available.  Still, the struggle was real and through this practice I realized what an art it is to write in a particular form.  Limitations and rules force a person to be creative.

Well, none of my form poems turn out well but I have much more appreciation and respect for forms.  Jannie is taking a break this month and a few of us in the class have taken up the responsibility to post a prompt.  Last night’s was to write a sestina—a long poem of 39 lines.  I found myself in a puzzled place, trying to fit the same six ending words to each line over and over.  It was a long time before I emerged, a bit frazzled, with a poem that looked like a hipster in a historical costume.

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