Day 5 ~ Cinquain Poem (Pattern 2) for #NationalPoetryMonth and "30 poems in 30 days"

I’m a huge fan of Cinquain Poems. Now, before you rush off to write one, let me tell you a few things. I have seen several very specific variations on this poetry form. Some stress the number of words per line; others, the numbers of syllables per line; and even others give a specific purpose for each line.

American poet Adelaide Crapsey invented this five-line poetry form. Cinq is French for “FIVE.” However, Adelaide took her inspiration from the Japanese haiku and tanka (which we did yesterday).

Since there is more than one style of cinquain poem – we’ll call this one “Pattern Two.” For this version, pattern 2, we will be counting WORDS and not syllables. 

This short five-lined poem doesn’t have an actual title; rather, the FIRST line (one word) becomes the title.

It does not need to rhyme and in this version, you count the number of words per line and each line has specific requirements for what kinds of words to use:

1^st line ~ one word – the subject (or title) or your poem

2^nd line ~ two words that describe the title/subject

3^rd line ~ three words that express action

4^th line ~ four words that express a thought or feeling

5^th line ~ one word synonym for title (restates your subject using a different word)

Service

Helping others

Let’s work together

Bearing one another’s burdens

Love

                                  

                                 © 2011 Stephanie Abney

Love

Getting married

Having some kids

Working things out together

Family

                                                © 2019 Stephanie Abney

Okay, YOUR TURN!! Remember, it's all about the NUMBER of WORDS, not syllables. Go!

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work and the creative work of others.

Image of service: Pixabay image by Mohamed Hassan

Image of family: OpenClipart-Vectors by Pixabay