Poetry in motion: Travis House will write you a poem while you wait

Travis House's vendor table at the St. John's Farmers' Market gives something of a steampunk vibe: the black manual typewriter, his smart vest and dark-rimmed glasses.

There is a challenge in his service: pick a topic, get a poem. And he's fast: "When I'm hot, it's about five minutes. It could easily go to ten if I'm having a hard time with it."

He wastes no paper on outlines or drafts. For each request, he uses a single sheet of 5"x 7" with space for 24 lines, max. He doesn't keep copies, and he rarely remembers what he has written, "even some of my favourite ones."

When asked how many such poems he has produced, he does the math.

"It's 100 sheets in a packet, which all gets turned into 400 after I've cut them." In terms of individual poems, "it's well over a thousand for sure," he says.

What do folks do with their finished product? Typically, they frame them, he says with people often telling him they want it for their cabin or for a grandparent's house, sometimes even placing them next to their pet's ashes.

"Some people, you can just tell when they're about to drop something on you," he says.

While some of his assignments are to write about something as simple as a word, like "determination" or "fire truck," he has also been asked to write tributes to loved ones who have just died, or messages of love from men with fertility problems to their wives.

"A day after a market when you get those, it takes it out of you. But it's a good tired to be."

He says it's an honour to be entrusted with their stories. "I love when they don't hold back because they trust me with that. I try to say that too; 'Thank you for your trust.'"

"It's always been like a busking thing for me," says House. He used to play mandolin on the streets for money while travelling, and now writes poems on a pay-what-you-can basis.

"It's still the best baseline for me because for every little kid in Bannerman Park who gives me 10 cents, there's so many more people who have gone above and beyond to support me."

And his business model is paying off.

"This is more than I've ever made at any other gig I've done. Apparently, I'm really good at it. People are really hyped with what I'm giving back to them."