Traditional Cinquain

Technically, a cinquain is any five-line poem or stanza. Traditionally it originated in medieval France, but can be found in many European languages. It was often employed by such poets as Philip Sidney, George Herbert, Edmund Waller, and John Donne.

It’s actually quite common in formal poetry, verses containing a strict meter and rhyme scheme. It was popular in England in the 16th and 17th centuries when iambic pentameter was common. In fact, most of the most well-known examples of the cinquain are written in iambic pentameter, although other meters were also used.

The number of cinquains in a poem often vary. The poem can be a single cinquain, or it can have many stanzas. The most common rhyme scheme is ABAAB, ABABB, or AABBA (limericks are a prime example of this last one). The syllable count is at the discretion of the poet.

Because this is such a short form, I felt like I should give all three rhyme schemes a try. To my surprise, my first poem begged more than one stanza. It’s an interesting form to work in – I think it helps that it has no set syllable count.


1
Invisible People

Invisible people all around
unseen, unheard, do they even feel?
Living their lives in the background
like spirits who have been earthbound,
ignored as though they are not real.

Like shadows in the corners lie –
ignored, we don’t want to see
the lost, the lonely, magnify;
there but for the grace of God go I.
That’s not the way that it should be.

2
Storm
They gather, grey and black, the clouds;
a warning crack of thunder
and then the pounding rain enshrouds;
we look out upon the wonder
as the world is torn asunder.

3
Shadow
I watch the shadow on the floor
As it inches towards the door
Relentless in its steady crawl
Not stopping even for the wall
Then disappears, the sun no more.