Friday, April 5, 2013

Cinquains for National Poetry Month


This week I'm experimenting with the cinquain, a poetry form I've only tried once or twice before. I'm also rejoicing in spring rain and in National Poetry Month. Here's a link to Jama Ratigan's excellent roundup of April poetry events. Note that today's Poetry Friday is being hosted by Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge.


April
umbrellas bloom,
coloring paper skies
like kindergartners, drinking cups
of rain.


Wind chimes
telling stories
about birds, branches, clouds.
If they could they’d fly far and high,
singing.


Baby
stares at nothing
like a small Buddhist monk,
her meditations bigger than
planets.


Sore throat
like a nail file
scraping away my voice.
I have nothing to say, so it’s
okay.


Sudden
rain walks the roof
like construction workers.
Yelling, they hammer the sky and
the house.


Kate Coombs, 2013
all rights reserved 


Happy National Poetry Month!


10 comments:

Unknown said...

Enjoyed your metaphors, similes, and imagery. Thanks for posting. Donna

Robyn Hood Black said...

These are so wonderful, Kate! (Though that sore throat one has me grabbing mine in defense - ouch!). I love that baby Buddha.

Thanks for sharing, and Happy Poetry Month!

Tabatha said...

Love these! You do a wonderful job with the cinquain. I am not sure which is my favorite...maybe "Baby."

Liz Steinglass said...

I love them too. I love the baby's meditations bigger than plants and drinking a cup of rain and the sudden rain hammering the roof.

Ruth said...

These are all wonderful, but I love the baby's planet-sized meditations best. You never do know what's going through their minds...

KateCoombs said...

Thanks, you guys! This particular baby is my new niece, who is nearly 3 months old and has us all in thrall.

Andromeda Jazmon said...

These are all lovely, vibrant images. I particularly like the rain on the roof. If you don't mind my saying, I wonder, if you took out the work "like" it wouldn't strike even more dramatically.

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Kate, thanks for offering words to my 30d30w poem. You have more than enough to go around--as this work abundantly shows. I'm particularly fond of the kindergarteners, of course, but each one has its exquisite moment.
More!

KateCoombs said...

Andromeda--Thanks, and good point!

Heidi--I'm enjoying watching your poem grow. Thanks for your kind words, and Happy Poetry April!

Renee LaTulippe said...

Kate, I was so happy to see cinquains! I haven't written one of these since I was an undergrad, but I still remember one in particular. It's a fun form, and these are lovely! :)