CINQUAINS

This is a technique for composing “a fun form of poetry.”

The word “poet” is derived from the Greek poietes, meaning “poet,” and also “creator.”

The word “cinquain” comes from the French for “five” (cinq) and pertains to a poem consisting of five lines in total; no more, no less.

There are a set of rules, which help anyone become an instant poet of the fifth dimension. Try it and feel joyous. Kick-start your creativity!

Line 1 must contain only one word, and it must be a noun.
Line 2 has two descriptive words (adjectives).
Line 3 has three action words (verbs).
Line 4 needs you to make a statement in four words (feelings)
Line 5 winds up the show with one word that means the same, or has some close connection to the noun on the first line.

For example, we could have:

Magic
Mysterious, Wondrous
Appearing, Disappearing, Reappearing,
What a strange experience!
Superfantasticacious!

Pizzas
Flat, Round,
Sizzling, Swirling, Spinning,
Food for fun kids;
Frisbeeee!

Zoology
Extinct, Extant,
Evolving, Morphing, Interrelating;
The study of animals;
BIOLOGY!

Arithmetic
Simple, Complex;
Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying
And oh! Division too!
Calculations!

Now write your own Cinquains!

NOTE: Cinquains are powerful learning tools for students of all ages (adults too), to creatively distill their understanding of diverse ideas and concepts. The deliberately concise 5-line format forces us to slash all inessential details and home in on only the most critical information.

Whatever we focus on, from arithmetic to zoology, we must express the essence of our topic within the eleven words of the cinquain.

This means that we have to think deeply, clearly, and creatively, so as to come up with the core elements of our subject matter within the tight structure of the cinquain.

By doing so, we challenge ourselves to create masterpieces of original work that can stay in our memories, for as long as we wish!

Good thinking leads to easy learning!

[Excerpted from the 'Thinkerbelles' edition of The InGenius Series of bookazines by Dilip Mukerjea. All the images in this post are the intellectual property of Dilip Mukerjea.]