A cinquain poem has five lines. The word comes from the French cinq, which means five. The best-known form of cinquain poetry was created in the early 1900s by
a poet named Adelaide Crapsey. These cinquains are similar to haiku in that the rules for writing them are based on syllables.
Cinquain poems have the following pattern: (and this is the pattern I've followed)
Line 1 - 2 syllables
Line 2 - 4 syllables
Line 3 - 6 syllables
Line 4 - 8 syllables
Line 5 - 2 syllables
An alternate version of the cinquain poem, often called a “word cinquain” is based on words, instead of syllables. “Word cinquains” have the following pattern:
Line 1 - 1 word
Line 2 - 2 words
Line 3 - 3 words
Line 4 - 4 words
Line 5 - 1 word
There are no specific rules about writing a cinquain other than that it must have five lines and the correct syllable count (or, if writing a word cinquain, the correct word count).
Fresh air,
Touching my cheek,
Whispering through the trees,
Carrying your song in the clouds,
Soft wind.
Copyright 2011
RED ROSE
(A cinquain)
By Josie Whitehead
True hue,
Touching my heart;
Filling me with such joy.
I am drawn to your sweet fragrance.
Sweet bloom.