The traditional cinquain is based on a syllable count.
- line 1 – 2 syllables
- line 2 – 4 syllables
- line 3 – 6 syllables
- line 4 – 8 syllables
- line 5 – 2 syllables
The modern cinquain is based on a specific number of words and their functions.
- line 1 – one word (noun) a title or name of the subject
- line 2 – two words (adjectives) describing the subject
- line 3 – three words (verbs) describing an action related to the subject
- line 4 – four words (adjectives) describing a feeling about the subject, or a complete (four word) sentence
- line 5 – one word referring back to the subject of the poem
Here is an example of a modern cinquain from a little girl of my household:
Schlossy;
Cute, pretty,
Smiling, sleeping, laughing,
Soft, warm, squishy, delightful,
Baby!
I have written a …. rebuttal… if you will, in the traditional style of the syllable count. Of course, I love our baby to bits, so it’s tongue in cheek…..kind of 
Baby!
long, endless nights
waking, crying, feeding
longing for that blessed relief:
sweet dreams!
If you decide to try your hand at writing a cinquain;
1. Post it on your blog
2. Leave a comment here with a link to the post
3. Check the links in the comments, and explore what creative genius is out there!
If you don’t have a blog, you can leave your cinquain in the comments here: we’ll still get to enjoy it.
Come, friends, dazzle me with your lyrical powers! ( I know you can do it 
)
Feb 02, 2010 @ 16:53:54
Hi Mrs BB,
I shall have to ‘think on these things’.
I love the cinquain about the “Baby”.
Have a great week,
Blessings,
Jillian
Feb 02, 2010 @ 17:03:05
I love these posts of yours, BB!
I’ll put my thinking cap on and shall return.
Feb 02, 2010 @ 17:41:25
Darcy,
loyal, loving,
licking, wagging, sleeping
giving us immense joy,
Our boy!
Feb 02, 2010 @ 18:53:38
Jillian and Ruby, thank you ladies! I’m looking forward to the poetical goodies I know you will come up with
Amanda – That poem is so fine I could almost feel the dog slobber!
Thanks so much for playing, you did a great job. Good ol’ Darcy!
p.s. Did he get any (ahem!) more substantial over Christmas? I bet you couldn’t resist giving him doggy treats
Feb 02, 2010 @ 19:29:43
Okay, here;s my link!
http://mummasplace.blogspot.com/2010/02/cl.html
Great cinquain Amanda! I saw the Pearls of Truth says and thought you might have been back on the blog. Not so? good to see your name up though.
Feb 02, 2010 @ 19:59:19
Ruby, I loved how you chose to write something God glorifying – it was so “Ruby”! Would that I was a little more like you. x
I still can’t comment on your blog, though this time I tried without using the wordpress option, but to no avail. So I have to say here, thanks for playing, and letting the abundance of your heart speak!
Feb 02, 2010 @ 20:19:46
Thanks BB.
Do you mean you tried to comment using the anonymous setting and couldn’t? I logged off both my blogger and wordpress ids and tried commenting anonymously and it worked so I don’t know what the problem is. I am sorry. I love for you to comment
Feb 02, 2010 @ 20:23:35
Ruby, the setting just said name and url (from memory, it was above the anonymous option), but I didn’t think to log out of wordpress. Will try again
Feb 02, 2010 @ 20:36:40
Ruby, I have no idea what the issue is, but even logged out of WordPress, I can’t leave a comment on your site. I have tried the URL & name option again now that I have logged out, and tried the anonymous, but, I’m just going to have to face it:
I’m an outcast.
sniffle..
sob.
breakdown.
(Where’s the chocolate?!?)
Feb 02, 2010 @ 22:37:55
I was able to leave a comment on your blog Ruby. Don’t worry Mrs BB, we all love you dearly
Thank you Ruby, I saw that today too and thought the ol’ Pearls had been resurrected! lol. I do have something in the pipeline… had to keep Miss Susan out of trouble didn’t I!! wink wink.
Let sleeping pearls lie in the petunia patch girls. LOL. Do you like the mysterious little clue???
You know how I like to play guessing games :laugh:
Feb 02, 2010 @ 22:39:43
ps. Mrs BB, Darcy resembles, I mean resents that statement! Of course he had treats but it doesn’t need to be umm a certain holiday time does it?? LOL
You crack me up as per usual my sweet, dear friend.
Feb 02, 2010 @ 23:00:59
Oh you are a baddie!! Fancy giving a girl a puzzle before she goes to sleep!
I have been to bed. Blossy called for a drink, and I (fatal mistake: foolish blogger that I am!) had to walk past my computer.
I have put everything I can think of in front of “wordpress”, and found some very obscure, abandoned blogs as a result, but nothing that sounds like you
Did you get Susan to build you a not-wordpress-hosted site? Or have you, (imagine some dark, dramatic music playing) crossed over to….Blogger?
Even though you are an inveterate teaser, it will be piles of fun having you back blogging!
But I’m not going to solve your puzzle tonight. No. I am going to think sleepy thoughts. Sleepy thoughts… sleepy….
Feb 02, 2010 @ 23:14:01
LOL!!!! stop it! you are too TOO cute!!
Fancy you trying all sorts of possible blog names… I can just picture it! You curious little puddy tat.
Blogger?? How could you ever suggest such a thing! hmmmph! lol. Did I mention Darcy has a Blogger blog? Yep, you guessed it… his very own blog, but I keep that one under raps, as I don’t want people to think I have really lost the plot
All will be revealed very soon my darling… then I can show off my new back yard, dolphins and all! lol. You are such good fun. You never fail to make me laugh
Feb 02, 2010 @ 23:44:54
Howdy!
I have finally, finally posted the first of your guest posts on my other blog. Here is the link. Please take a look at it and let me know what you want changed.
http://closerlookbmg.blogspot.com/
I love the poetic conversation between you and your daughter. I think your baby will have the last word though.
Here is my latest cinquain: http://tasmith1122.wordpress.com/category/poetry/my-poetry/cinquain/
Feb 03, 2010 @ 07:18:23
Darcy has his own blog (oh, laughing my head off!) you’ve been holding out on me!! “Darcy, the Blogger Dog.” Yep, got a ring to it
I really wanted to surprise you and find your new one, if I could only have solved the (infuriating) little puzzle, from your (scanty and entirely inadequate) clues.
But did you know there is a wordpress.com: “petunia patch” and “onion patch” and “letsleepingdogslie” and…just about everything else I tried! None of them were you, but.
I’ll just have to wait for the unveiling.
Yousie, that’s fine
You are quite right about Miss Baby. It is as plain as day, even to the most casual observer, that Miss Baby has not only the last word, but just about all the other words as well. She considers herself the top of the pecking order, of my four girls. It’s a sad fact that instilling a little reality in her perspective falls to me.
Thanks for playing along
Feb 03, 2010 @ 07:46:01
Ok, Mrs BB, you’ve sucked me in. Here is my Cinquain offering http://marigoldcottage.blogspot.com/2010/02/cinquain.html
Feb 03, 2010 @ 09:18:39
If you can’t comment on someone else’s blog, yet others can it could be a script conflict causing an error. The quick n dirty way around it is to use another browser. Not perfect but a quick fix.
Feb 03, 2010 @ 10:56:30
Amanda, there’s even a …
http://darcy.wordpress.com/
But, I. don’t. think. it’s you
(Well, not unless Darcy’s blog is the only thing you’ve been not telling us!
) {Crumbs, did you like that grammar? 
}
Ah, my Amy friend, so glad you couldn’t resist
Susan, you’re such a gem!
Feb 03, 2010 @ 14:13:06
It could be mine, if I had learnt another language in my spare time LOL.
Keep guessing my Mrs BB… but for now, it remains a ‘secret’ to dig away at!
hahahaha.
Feb 03, 2010 @ 15:42:09
Oh, my friend, I am going to find a way to get you back for this one! I will have to throw my mind into evil fiend gear to think of a suitable revenge for this “guess the blog name” challenge!!
I tried (and I don’t necessarily recommend you follow suit ) even “secret pearls”. Sweetie, I KNOW that’s not you. English or not.
Feb 03, 2010 @ 15:45:51
aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! LOLOLOLOL hahahahaahha! Nope, not that one!
Feb 03, 2010 @ 16:38:24
Phew!
Update on the Orphans & Cinquain « Footprints Diary
Feb 03, 2010 @ 20:15:14
Feb 03, 2010 @ 20:21:46
Hi Mrs BB,
I have been thinking, and this is the Cinquain I came up with:~
http://footprintsdiary.com/our-hobby-farm/update-on-the-orphans-cinquain/
I have linked back to you, too.
Have a great week,
Blessings,
Jillian
Feb 03, 2010 @ 21:48:12
Jillian, your post was the extra mile of cuteness!
Cinquains and Crosses « Five peas in a pod
Feb 04, 2010 @ 08:58:21
Feb 05, 2010 @ 08:27:28
Friends, be sure to check out Richard’s offering here:
http://kseverny.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/participate-by-kseverny/
It’s very clever
Feb 05, 2010 @ 09:58:09
thanks bb.
yours are much better than mine
Feb 05, 2010 @ 11:09:56
I loved Richard’s! very clever indeed
Feb 05, 2010 @ 19:35:40
Today’s my Sir Wimple day, but I will try some Cinquains over the weekend.
Feb 05, 2010 @ 20:36:18
Richard, Bless you
You have to be a woman, and perhaps more importantly, a mother, to appreciate
the miracle… the sensitivity of a man placing the word “washing machine” and “boring” in the same poem.The context is irrelevant.
Critiqaltheory, I’m so glad you dropped in. Not just because you are so sweet that you are going to play my cinquain game, but because I would otherwise have never come to the knowledge of what a “Sir Wimple Day” was.
Feb 05, 2010 @ 22:45:31
I really appreciate both cinquains.
So lively and full of love.
I have attempted to write one,
here is the link
http://justmeshakira.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/a-simple-cinquain-from-me/
hugs
shakira
Feb 05, 2010 @ 22:59:39
I’m in a “I’m too lazy to blog mode” so I will just post my cinquain here:-
Elmo
Ginger, kitty
Loved, hugged, cuddled
Mischievous ball of fluff
RASCAL
Fee
Feb 06, 2010 @ 06:12:00
Shakira, thank you for trying your hand at this form of poetry. I see from your site you are an adventurous soul
Fee, “too lazy to blog mode”?
If only. I am more likely to be struck down with “too lazy to iron” mode. {Grimace!}
I am thoroughly glad you roused yourself to play, though. That poem is just kitties all over!
Thanks for playing!
Cinquain: Night « SocrateSoul
Feb 06, 2010 @ 13:41:53
Feb 07, 2010 @ 08:41:31
there’s an award over at mine with your name on it
Feb 11, 2010 @ 12:58:44
Here’s my link
http://betweenpoles.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/more-at-500/
Feb 11, 2010 @ 17:46:29
I love it when you play
Friends, Vimal’s cinquains are sharp, and well worth a look. He has even (so courteously!) posted a link to a syllable counter – can’t believe I didn’t think of it first
(However, ladies, don’t browse, or you’ll die of fright
)
Feb 12, 2010 @ 13:32:21
Thanks for the compliments.
And the syallable counter was more a necessity. Not that sharp when it comes to grammar.
Feb 16, 2010 @ 04:01:55
Nicely handled.
Thanks for accepting your award. I’ll try to remember to keep your nominations to a minimum. (I like getting the awards but dislike the hassle of passing them along–especially when one gets several in the same week.) I’ll try and check out your friends’ links soon.
Feb 16, 2010 @ 10:06:36
Dearest BB,
I have done it, the Vimal’s way. lol
Would you like to see it?
here
Have you a good week!
hugs
shakira
Feb 16, 2010 @ 21:36:29
Vimal, luckily, grammar is no pre-requisite for talent
Yousei, thanks for accepting my alternative
Hey, Shakira, thanks for dropping by with your new cinquains, Vimal style
I did drop by earlier today to view them, but it was a fly by visit, so didn’t stop to thank you then for the invitation to view!