The Didactic Cinquain — A Discussion and Study

The following is a transcript of a conversation between me and my coworker.  By now most of you should know of said coworker, as he is the same one that helped me come up with 10 Cubed.

As I’d stated in my previous post about the sonnet, he and I have been trying to come up with entertaining and challenging ways to communicate throughout our work day.  So far it has been quite fruitful and enjoyable.  I regret that I did not think to post the transcript from Haiku Day last week. 

So here is our attempt at a new poem style called a Cinquain.  I tried to find the simplest form of the poem possible for us to start off with.   I have left the transcript in it’s original format and haven’t edited much other than our names.  Apologies if it gets difficult to read.

Enjoy:

TMTO: i think we’ll have to go with the Didactic Cinquain today.

CW: Elaborate.

TMTO: and if we’re feeling extra awesome, we can try the Tetractys Cinquain

CW: Two fives vs. three fives?

TMTO: in this particular type, it’s word count, not syllable count.

TMTO: but still 1, 2, 3, 4, 1

TMTO:
Breath
Warm, steam
Flowing, churning, spreading
Growing as it dissipates
Air

TMTO: ^ so basically this type of thing

TMTO:
Title
Descriptive words
Showing, revealing, acting
Explaining the title word
Synonym

TMTO:
Sleep
Dream plane
Creating, destroying, resting
Something I lack completely
Nap

CW:
Stress
Head pounding
Cold drinks await
The only effective solace
Oblivion

CW: Somehow I ended up botching that anyway. Let’s try again.

CW:
Reality
Visible, invisible
Carnal senses fail
There is no understanding
Perhaps

CW: Still not quite, gotta get the fourth line right.

CW: Okay, re-wrote the first two and picked up a third. Let’s see what you think of these.

Stress
Bleak, static
Bending, biting, breaking
Oh, to be free
BeerReality
Visible, invisible
Accepting, grasping, comprehending
Prove we aren’t dreaming
PerhapsGolf
Aggressive, competitive
Striking, floating, falling
The end, an abyss
Life

TMTO: hahahaha there you go.

TMTO: this one’s about word count, not syllables.

TMTO: although obviously, poetic rules are meant to be bent and broken.

CW: yeah, I got that, but when I wrote out the template from that image you posted, I mixed up a couple things.

TMTO: ah i see hahaha

CW: Obligatory apparently.

Birthday
Annual celebration
Advancing, living, surviving
Another day, another dollar
Work

TMTO:
Food
Necessary sustenance
Varying, filling, recharging
Whether good or bad
Fuel

TMTO:
Thanks
Thoughtful words?
Repeating, whispering, shouting
All day, from me
Appreciation

CW:
Cloud
Lofty, ephemeral
Floating, flowing, vanishing
Reminder all is fleeting
Symbolism

TMTO:
October
Weather confused
changing, warming, cooling
Colored leaves, bristled beards
Fall

CW: I like that one quite a lot.

CW: I’ve got a parody of that one I think you’ll enjoy. Gimme a second.

TMTO: hahaha

TMTO: uh oh

CW: No, it’s gonna be hilarious. Just be patient. 

CW: Okay, let’s try this out.

Autumn
Warm, cold
Beginning, changing, ending
Brightest colors, darkest shades
Eveland

TMTO: …. hahahahaha

TMTO: i wonder if that’s how she is

CW: I’m gonna step outside, experience a bit of this lovely autumn eve…ning.

TMTO: AH

TMTO: hahaha

CW: Pretty good, right?

CW:
Memory
Intangible experience
Selective, fleeting gossamer
Was it, or not
History

TMTO:
History
Past remembered
Remembering, contemplating, commemorating
Written by the victors
Memory

CW: Now that’s a damn good one. Ah, that gave me a great idea! We start each new one with the last word of the previous one. Sound like something that might work?

TMTO: i don’t see why not hahaha

CW: Great, let’s get this started.

CW:
Forest
Natural beauty
Enchanting, enlivening, terrifying
Never lost, only found
Home

TMTO:
Home
Under stars
Boggling, distracting, mesmerizing
Domed, vaulted universal ceiling
Earth

CW:
Earth
Interstellar cell
Living, evolving, dying
Microcosmic macrocosm, cosmic diorama
Contrary

TMTO: is “contrary” really a synonym of “earth”? haha

TMTO:
Contrary
Opposite opinion
Differing, bickering, babbling
Separate views, similar angles
Disagreement

CW: Doesn’t have to be a synonym, according to the original text. More like a synonym or reference to the title.

TMTO: meh

TMTO: dammit

CW: ?

TMTO:
Contrary
Opposite opinion
Differing, bickering, babbling
Comparing, contrasting, countering
Separate views, similar angles
Dialogue

TMTO: Disagreement

CW: Ah… I really liked the first one. I was already trying to come up with one that would end VERY SIMILARLY [cough:plagiarist] to that.

TMTO: hahahaha

TMTO: well either way

CW: Okay, dialogue it is, then. On it.

TMTO: i just liked the alliteration of the gerunds line

CW: Totally! I tried that with the Stress one.

TMTO: hahaha

CW:
Dialogue
Intelligent conversation
Bantering, ribbing, jesting
We’re talking, not fighting
Women…

TMTO: HA

CW: Thought you’d get a kick outta that. 

TMTO:
Women

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Confusing

CW: How… Appropriate. 

* these lines are intentionally blank but would not format as blank lines. 😦