Entries Tagged 'Poetry' ↓

From the archives—one of our most requested blog posts. Thought you might enjoy a midsummer poetry break!

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Cinquain: an unrhymed poem consisting of five lines arranged in a special way.

Planet
Graceful, ringed
Spinning, whirling, twirling
Dances with neighbor Jupiter
Saturn

A cinquain is an example of shape poetry. Because of the exact number of words required for each line of this poem, a unique, symmetrical shape is created from interesting, descriptive words.

The word cinquain comes from the Latin root for “five.” Notice that the cinquain has five lines that follow this sequence:

Line A: One vague or general one-word subject or topic.
Line B: Two vivid adjectives that describe the topic.
Line C: Three interesting “-ing” action verbs that fit the topic.
Line D: Four-word phrase that captures feeling about the topic.
Line E: A very specific term that explains Line A.

Here’s another example:

Insect
Hidden, hungry
Preening, searching, stalking
Waits as if praying
Mantis

Brainstorming

Use the tips below to brainstorm on blank paper for different ideas. Then follow the directions to write your own beautiful cinquain. When possible, try to use poetic devices like alliteration, onomatopoeia, or personification. Because the poem has a limited number of words, choose each word carefully!

Word Pair Ideas (general/specific)

• bird/parrot (crow, canary, dove)
• fruit/apple (pear, banana, watermelon, peach, etc.)
• season/spring (summer/fall/autumn/winter)
• winter/January (spring/April, summer/July, autumn/October)
• candy/jawbreaker (Snickers, jelly beans, licorice)
• storm/tornado (hurricane, blizzard, squall)
• water/river (ocean, lake, stream, creek)

Line A: Name a general topic (see the suggestions above for some ideas).
Line E: Rename your topic, being more specific. (This will be the last line of your cinquain.)
Line B: Brainstorm 5-6 vivid, concrete adjectives to describe Topic E. Do not choose words that end in “-ing.”
Line C: Brainstorm 5-6 highly descriptive participles (verbs ending in “-ing”) that fit Topic E.
Line D: Brainstorm several four-word phrases that capture some feeling about Topic E. Follow these tips to develop an effective phrase:

• Do not use any “to be” verbs or vague words.
• Do not repeat any words used elsewhere in the cinquain.
• If you can’t think of something, try a combination of adjective + noun + verb + adverb to achieve the most concrete phrase possible.

Writing Your Cinquain

1. Pick out your most descriptive words from your brainstorming and put your cinquain together.
2. When you are satisfied, recopy the poem onto clean notebook paper.
3. Center your cinquain on the paper.
4. Begin each line with a capital letter, and remember your commas. Do not use ending punctuation.
5. When finished, double-check for concreteness!

Line A. _______
Line B. _______ , _______
Line C. _______ , _______, _______
Line D. _______ _______ _______ _______
Line E. _______

Finally, when your children are all done with their cinquains, come back and post their poems in the comment section. We would love to see them!

Copyright © 2008 Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

Life is fragile. Loss runs deep.

An email this morning from my son-in-law’s sister reminded me of this as she reflected on what would have been her little boy’s first birthday.

Stillborn, Brayden entered this world a year ago today. His short life has deeply impacted Sarah and her husband along with countless others who have grieved with them this past year. And though the Lord blessed them with another son just a month ago, they still feel Brayden’s death keenly.

Sarah asked family and friends to send her an email with a message she and Johnny could attach to the balloons they planned to release at Brayden’s resting place. This is what came into my mind as soon as my fingers touched the keyboard:

B orn lifeless, yet we
R emember you as if you have
A lways been here with us.
Y our name brings both sadness and
D elight, and today we bless your memory.
E ach day grows easier, yet we will
N ever, ever forget you.

Fabulous poetry? Not really. Meaningful? Without a doubt.

Writing can be whimsical, funny, serious. It can take up pages and pages or just a line or two. The written word can inspire, encourage, or pay tribute. Think of the meaningful sentiments on those especially touching greeting cards. Sometimes all that’s needed is a simple little phrase that expresses a heartful of thoughts.

So don’t let your mind hold you hostage with lies that you dont have anything important to say. You do. Don’t believe for a moment that anything worth writing must be long or profound. This morning, Sarah’s note of thanks reminded me that my few humble words could bring healing and life.

Perhaps you have a few words to share with someone. A simple acrostic poem might be all you need to express your appreciation, love, sympathy, or congratulations.

Give it a try, you and your children . . . and please come back to leave a comment sharing your poem or other sentiment. 

–Kim

Cento: an original poem made using lines from the works of various poets.

In recent posts I’ve shared ideas on teaching your children to write cinquain poems and poems of comparison. Let’s have some fun today with cento poetry!

Cento, sometimes called “patchwork poetry,” is well named because of the way the poem is assembled. (The term cento actually comes from the Latin word for patchwork.) As a quilt is pieced together from assorted patches of fabric, the cento poem is put together with lines from other sources.

To make a patchwork poem, each line must be taken from a different poem. When the lines are put together, they must make sense. The poem doesn’t have to rhyme, but rhyming adds a nice touch.

An Example

Here’s a rhyming cento by one of my former students, Rachel:

Round paradise is such a wall, (Monro)
And, hearing fairy voices call, (Webb)
And the streams run golden, (Lee)
Where there is no grass at all. (Stephens)

Sources:

Harold Monro, “Real Property”
Mary Webb, “Green Rain”
Laurie Lee, “Day of These Days”
James Stephens, “White Fields”

Create a Cento

1. Read some poems. Take time to look through a few poetry books. Enjoy the poems.
2. Get started. Find a line you especially like, and make that the first line of your patchwork poem. Write the poet’s last name in parentheses at the end of the line, as in the example above.
3. Add more lines. Select lines 2, 3, and 4 in the same way. Choose your lines carefully—your poem must make sense.
4. Take the challenge!
   • Try to make your poem rhyme.
   • Make sure the beats sound right.
   • Tenses should agree. 
   • Person should agree. In other words, pick lines that have all been written in either first or third person.
5. Give credit. At the end, list each poet’s full name. Include the name of the poem in quotes.

Then, come back later and leave a comment with examples of your cento poems!

Copyright © 2008 Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

Figurative language contains images. To add interest, make things clearer, or create a word picture, a poet often describes something through the use of unusual comparisons. Similes, metaphors, and personification are examples of figurative language.

Continue reading →

In Spring into writing, part 1, we dipped our toes into some fresh descriptive writing and journaling ideas. Today, in honor of the season, let’s play around with a bit of whimsical poetry.

An Acrostic Poem

Who says poems have to rhyme? Using the letters in the word SPRING, create an acrostic poem about the season. A line can be a single word, a phrase or partial thought, or a complete sentence.

The first poem makes use of simple descriptive phrases. Notice the repeated letters and sounds? Continue reading →

Cinquain: an unrhymed poem consisting of five lines arranged in a special way.

Planet
Graceful, ringed
Spinning, whirling, twirling
Dances with neighbor Jupiter
Saturn

A cinquain is an example of shape poetry. Because of the exact number of words required for each line of this poem, a unique, symmetrical shape is created from interesting, descriptive words.

The word cinquain comes from the Latin root for “five.” Notice that the cinquain has five lines that follow this sequence:

Line A: One vague or general one-word subject or topic.
Line B: Two vivid adjectives that describe the topic.
Line C: Three interesting “-ing” action verbs that fit the topic.
Line D: Four-word phrase that captures feeling about the topic.
Line E: A very specific term that explains Line A.

Here’s another example: Continue reading →