May 24, 2011

Voodoo Sonnet

XXX
XXX
XXX
XXX

XXX
XXX
XXX
XXX

XXX
XXX
XXX
XXX

XXX
XXX

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I was on jury duty in Baltimore yesterday, and for the first time actually ended up serving on a jury. It was a relatively simple case, but even a simple case isn't simple I guess. I'll have more to say about it -- maybe over drinks rather than here.

Anyway, during one of the "counsel and judge chats" when the white machine noise is going and we're supposed to actively not listen to what the parties are discussing, I was doodling to pass the time and suddenly I was doodling triple Xs.

I started thinking of Marie Laveau's crypt in New Orleans, St. Louis Cemetery #1 -- which I visited years ago in Katrina's aftermath. And then I was thinking about New Orleans in general. And then, covering things with Xs. Lots of things.

And I was thinking about how the Xs would work with syllable counts... should a Voodoo Haiku be
XXX XX
XXX XXX X
XXX XX

or

XXX
XXX
XXX

Would it have to do with pronouncing "X"? Is there any meaning to the "X" when it isn't part of "XXX"? What other forms would mean something -- in the way "sonnet" means something (and actually means so much to me) or "haiku" means something (certainly, though less than "sonnet" for me)?

There you have it. And I'll certainly think about it more someday. And maybe when I get back to New Orleans, I can scrawl it on Laveau's crypt. Or if you are closer, you could.

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