I first discovered cinquain a few years ago, and I experimented with it for a poetry challenge online. I enjoyed the form so much that I found myself going back to it and writing cinquain about many different subjects. It’s a form of poetry that has no rhyme, but has a strict number of lines and a specified number of syllables per line. It is considered the only truly American poetic form in literature, having been created by a young New York poet, Adalaide Crapsey. You’ll find cinquain on this site quite frequently in the future, and I’ve even published a book devoted only to cinquain poetry. But I’ll tell you more about that another time. Right now, I’m composing ciquain to match this amazing photographic artwork by my great friend and professional photographer Terry Valley.
Moonrise
Over night pond.
Lonely swan at midnight
Confused by gliding ‘cross the moon:
Night flight.
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POETRY BY AHYOKA 