February 21, 1996
Issue
Shining
The triolet, as a poetic form, is French in origin; it is composed of eight lines, only two of which rhyme. The composition-scheme is as follows: A B a A a b A B (a capital letter represents a repeated line). It would seem that the simplicity of the form is rivalled only by the challenge of managing its repetition so that they come naturally and inevitably, and all the while maintaining repetition-variety so that the shifts in emphasis are comprehensive. Historically, the word "triolet" did not arrive on the scene until 1486, but the form as it is known today is older. It can be traced as far back as the 13th century, in a work entitled Cléomadés of Ardenent-le-Roi. Not long after, the form experienced a good deal of appreciation and was cultivated by medieval poets such as Eustache Deschamps and Jean Froissart. It gained and lost as much favour as did those poets who used it. I will be using this form in coming articles. My reasons are simple and highly political. A far more talented poet than I once wrote that the triolet is "ingeniously mischievous ... and sly". I am a novice as a poet, but I agree with that; the triolet will allow me to share with you brief yet timely presentations of current political items as they relate to the African-American experience. Unfortunately, people of colour in general and African-American men in particular are experiencing wholesale emasculation in, and outside of, the US political arena. So...Listen Up
We are not bete noires America, we are your shining stars! Like fresh-hewn Ebony, from afar We are not bete noires Jack the Constitution up to par Struggling in front and behind prison bars We are not bete noires America, we are your shining stars![The writer is a prisoner on death row in the United States. He is happy to answer letters commenting on his columns. He can be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, EF-122216, G2-51, GD&CC, PO Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233, USA. Brandon's childhood autobiography is available in booklet form for $16, including postage. Every cent raised will go towards defending his life. Please make cheques payable to the Brandon Astor Jones Defence Account and post to 10 Palara Place, Dee Why NSW 2099. Donations to the Brandon Astor Jones Defence Account may be made at any Commonwealth Bank, account no 2127 1003 7638.]