The Cinquain Challenge: Form 4—The Mirror Cinquain

This week, we’re looking at a fourth type of cinquain. Again, it uses either a Crapsey Form 1 or a Crapsey Form 2 as a base.
For those of you who are new to this series, Adelaide Crapsey was an American poet who was inspired by the rules of Japanese poetry to create her own poetical form, the cinquain.
A cinquain is a five-line poem that has a set number of syllables (or word types) per line. Sometimes the title of a cinquain acts as a sixth line.
The fourth type of cinquain we’ll look at is called a Mirror Cinquain. This formconsists of two five-line verses—a Crapsey Form 1 or 2 cinquain, and a Reverse Cinquain based on the form used in the first verse.
Here’s an example, inspired by the day outside my window:
SunlightReflected on leavesFrom a sky grey with cloudRain threatens, wind blows, the sun shinesAutumn
Some leavesHave turned earlyRed and yellow highlightsAmidst a stormy sea of greenAutumn
And here’s another one.
StarshipsBound out of orbitEngines winking, bright like starsTo far-flung planets newly foundSettlers
SettlersTraders, poetsExplorers full of hopeFor fortune, new market, new lives, Starships
Why don’t you give it a try? Try writing at least one reverse cinquain for each day of the week. They don’t take a lot of time, but they can be a bit tricky. Here’s one way you might want to approach them:Decide on a topic;Think of words, phrases, feelings and ideas that relate to your topic and work out the order you want to express those things in;Work out how to express each idea in the right number of syllables for the line it’s on;Write your cinquain;Check there are the right number of syllables on each line; andCentre the poem on your page. Or you can just write them as you go, letting inspiration take you where it will, but remember to check your syllables and centre your poem at the end.Enjoy!