Imaginary Garden With Real Toads gave us a form to work on, the Cinquain, sort of like haiku, but with a different syllabic structure (five lines; 2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 2). Its inventor was the American poet Adelaide Crapsey. I wrote three: one funny, one environmental, and one about our praise service at church. Enjoy. If I didn’t make the deadline (often the case!), it will be shared on Real Toads’ Open Link Monday!  Process notes below.

CINQUAINS FOR “REAL TOADS”

What’s In A Name?

Only
myself tonight
wondering how someone
who made this lovely form was named
Crapsey

Skeeter Davis Said It First*

Human
obsolescence
has been hastened by our
wanton disrespect for this gift,
our Earth.

Sing Hallelujah!

My church
Prayers are souldeep
Singing is loudrowdy
When the band starts in to jam, we
“pray twice”**

© 2013 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil

NOTES: Cinquains ideally have a nature theme, similar to haiku; however, Americans generally disregard this, as is our nature. There are other suggested rules, and I didn’t bother with those either. See, I’m more of a “free-verse” kind of woman, and after years of songwriting, being constrained to any form makes me all twitchy. But for Real Toads, I did my best!  Also on the right scrolling column of my poetic haven, Poets United.

* Skeeter Davis’ biggest hit was, “(Don’t They Know) It’s the End of the World?”
** Old saying: When you sing in church, you pray twice. Once with words and again with the joyful noise of rhythm and voices!


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