A Cinquain is a short non-rhyming poem of 5 lines developed by Adalaide Crapsey.
It follows one of three formats:
FORMAT #1
Line 1: One word
Line 2: Two words
Line 3: Three words
Line 4: Four words
Line 5: One word
FORMAT #2
Line 1: A noun
Line 2: Two adjectives
Line 3: Three -ing words
Line 4: A phrase
Line 5: Another word for the noun
FORMAT #3
Line 1: Two syllables
Line 2: Four syllables
Line 3: Six syllables
Line 4: Eight syllables
Line 5: Two syllables
- All must relate to same theme or subject.
- As with most short forms a title is not necessary.
Here are two of mine:
RED
Carmine
Colour of blood
Does honour there still show?
Outpouring voluminous flow
Scarlet.
and
Warhorse
Large, powerful
Charging, tramping, prancing
Imposing and bold
Stallion
Here is one of Adalaide Crapsey’s:
Listen…
With faint dry sound,
Like steps of passing ghosts,
The leaves, frost crisp’d, break from the trees
And fall.