Humor Poetry posted October 26, 2016 Chapters:  ...425 426 -427- 428... 


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A Double Pleiades Poem

A chapter in the book Little Poems

Sniff Sneeze

by Treischel


Sneering soured to a grimace
Snarling set the facial premise
Sniffing caused a rude appearance
Snuffles made much interference
Snivels sent the message forward
Snout was full, and getting awkward
Snot had filled and aggravated

Sneeze could not be soon abated
Snatch a tissue, issue captured
Sneak a peek, ensuring rapture
Snidely smile and quickly discard
Snare tobacco pinch from its hoard
Snuff then lifted to proboscis
Snorted, generating stasis






No, I don't use snuff, but it was a common practice in the 1700's to snort a small pinch up the nose. Snuff is a smokeless tobacco made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is insufflated or "snuffed" into the nasal cavity, delivering a swift hit of nicotine and a lasting flavored scent (especially if flavoring has been blended with the tobacco). Traditionally it is sniffed or inhaled lightly after a pinch of snuff is either placed onto the back surface of the hand, held pinched between thumb and index finger, or held by a specially made "snuffing" device. Snuff-taking by the Taino and Carib people of the Lesser Antilles was observed by the Franciscan monk Raman Pana on Columbus' second voyage to the New World in 1493. Friar Pana's return to Spain with snuff signaled its arrival in Europe that would last for centuries. In 1561 Jean Nicot, the French ambassador in Lisbon, Portugal, who described tobacco's medicinal properties as a panacea in his writings, is credited with introducing ground tobacco snuff to the Royal Court of Catherine de' Medici to treat her persistent headaches. She was so impressed with its curative relieving properties, she promptly declared that tobacco would henceforth be termed Herba Regina (Queens' Herb). Her royal seal of approval would help popularize snuff among the French nobility. Snuff use in England increased in popularity after the Great Plague of London (1665 - 1666) as people believed snuff had valuable antiseptic properties, which added a powerful impetus to its consumption. By 1650, snuff use had spread from France to England, Scotland, and Ireland, and throughout Europe, as well as Japan, China, and Africa. By the 18th century, snuff had become the tobacco product of choice among the elite. Snuff use reached a peak in England during the reign of Queen Anne. Prominent snuff users included Pope Benedict XIII who repealed the smoking ban set by Pope Urban VIII; King George III's wife Queen Charlotte, referred to as 'Snuffy Charlotte', who had an entire room at Windsor Castle devoted to her snuff stock; and King George IV, who had his own special blends and hoarded a stockpile of snuff. Napoleon, Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Marie Antoinette, Alexander Pope, Samuel Johnson and Benjamin Disraeli all used snuff, as well as numerous other notable persons. The taking of snuff helped to distinguish the elite members of society from the common populace, which generally smoked its tobacco. Source: Wikipedia.
Here I blended that practice, with just a basic sneeze.

This poem is derived from the common Pleiades.
A Pleiades is a poetry form created by Craig Tigerman, that has a title with a single word. The poem itself has seven lines. The first word in each line begins with the same letter as the title. The name is derived from mythology and history. The Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas, placed by Zeus among the stars in the constellation Taurus. Each daughter had a name starting with the same first letter. Then, in the 16th century there was a famous group of French Poets who formed a group called a Pleiade, who favored the use of classical forms.

What makes THIS a double Pleiades is, I doubled the lines to 14 (2x7) and doubled the title from one to two words. In addition, instead of starting each line with the same single letter, I started with the same first TWO letters. Making this a much harder feat to accomplish. After all, how hard is it to write 7 unrhymed lines with 7 words starting with the same single letter. In keeping with the French poets, I added some classical poetic techniques - coupled rhyming, alliteration, inline rhyme and meter. The meter is trochaic tetrameter. Hope you like my modifications.

This image is from Yahoo Images.
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