people
masquerading
with crop-over fever
dancing to the calypso beat
for days
If you are writing poetry for the first time, the Cinquain is probably the point at which to start your poetic journey. In this form, there are three styles from which to make your selection. In the poem "Crop-Over" the Crapsey Cinquain form is used. This form is named after its inventor, the female American poet Adelaide Crapsey. She based it on the Japanese Haiku. When she died a single woman at the age of thirty-seven from tuberculosis her poems were published posthumously in 1915. Her Cinquain form is made-up of twenty-two words and is purely syllabic unrhyme free verse lines. Its 5-line syllabic structure contains successive lines as shown in the Table below:
Crapsey Cinquain Rules
|
Syllables
|
Crop-Over
|
Line 1 has 2 syllables
Line 2 has 4 syllables
Line 3 has 6 syllables
Line 4 has 8 syllables
Line 5
has 2 syllables
|
peo
ple
mas
que rad ing
with
crop-o ver fe ver
danc
ing to the ca lyp so beat
for
days
|
people
masquerading
with
crop-over fever
dancing to
the calypso beat
for days
|
The poem "Crop-Over" is structured around the Crapsey Cinquain and gives some insight into the annual summer festival of history in Barbados culture and fun. It is the most colorful festival tracing back to the 1780's, a time when Barbados was the largest producer of sugar from sugarcane fields. At the end of a successful sugar cane harvest - crop over celebrations began. As the sugar-cane industry of Barbados declined, so too was the Crop-Over Festival and in the 1940's the festival was terminated completely. 1974 was the rebirth of the festival and other elements of Barbadian culture were infused to create the extravaganza that exists in 21st century Barbados, an event that attracted thousands of people from across the globe. Crop-Over Festival 2013 began with the Opening Gala and Ceremonial Delivery of the Last Canes and the crowning of the King and Queen of the Festival - the most productive male and female cane-cutters of the season. Other events fused into the Crop-Over Festival included Bridgetown Market, Cohobblopot, Kiddies Kadooment, Folk Concerts, Art and Photographic Exhibitions.
Calypso is one of the main features of the Crop-Over Festival. Calysonians are organized into "tents". Barbados businesses provide sponsorship to these tents. Calysonians compete for several prices and titles, including Party Monarch, Sweet Socca Monarch, Road March Monarch and Pic- of-the-Crop Monarch. The final of the Crop-Over Festival is Grand Kadooment. This carnival parade features large bands with members dressed in elaborate costumes to depict various themes. Designers compete for the coveted Designer of the Year prize while the revelers seem more intent on having a good time prancing and jamming to the pulsating rhythm of calypso music until they reach Spring Garden, the party continues with more fantastic music, lots of food and drink and, for some, quick swim at the neary beach on Spring Garden Highway. This grand festival ends on Spring Garden Highway.
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