Forms of Poetry: Cinquain

Today is the first day of April and ushers in Poetry Month. I shall be writing poems each day of this month in recognition of Poetry Month. However, for the first twenty-five days of April, I shall probably compose poems with themes suitable for the Police Wives Association of Barbados. There is a reason for this. The Police Wives Association of Barbados is celebrating its Silver Anniversary.

Among the things I like about poetry is that it can be crafted in many forms and styles. Therefore it is important to understand the meaning and purpose for the diversity. This understanding allows the wise selection of the best form and style for the particular poetic purpose in mind. Today, I have selected to use the Cinquain form.

The original Cinquain was the brain-child of the female American poet, Adelaide Crapsey. She based it on the Japanese Haiku. When she died a single woman at the age of 37 from tuberculosis her poems were published posthumously in 1915. Her Cinquain form is made up of twenty-two words and is purely syllabic unrhymed lines. Two forms of the Cinquain have flowed out of her inspiration and they follow a strict pattern. You'll see the marked differences as you analyze their structures shown as follows:

Crapsey Cinquain Form

Line 1 = 2 syllables
Line 2 = 4 syllables
Line 3 = 6 syllables
Line 4 = 8 syllables
Line 5 = 2 syllables

Cinquain Forms which have emerged are shown in the following patterns:

( a)

Line 1 = One word title
Line 2 = Two words that describe the subject of the title
Line 3 = Three words related to the subject (use verbs)
Line 4 = Four to five words that express feelings about the subject (not a complete sentence)
Line 5 = Same word as Line 1, a synonym or a similar word.

(b)

Line 1 = A noun
Line 2 = Two adjectives describing Line 1
Line 3 = Three -ing words (verbs) relating to Line I
Line 4 = A phrase, or complete sentence that relates to Line 1
Line 5 = Another word for the noun

Click here to go to Cinquain poem