Invented by American poet Adelaide Crapsey and inspired by the Japanese haiku of three lines and 17 syllables, the "Crapsey Cinquain," or "American Cinquain," is five lines and 22 syllables. Where the haiku's syllable scheme is 5-7-5, the American Cinquain is 2-4-6-8-2. Both forms use the present tense and employ no end rhyme. Unlike the haiku, Adelaide used a title for her poems. I began writing Crapsey Cinquains years ago but most of the following 30 poems were written in March 2013.
BIG MYSTERY
"I Am"
said God one day.
What does that really mean?
I am present, or I exist?
Who knows?
FIRST SOUND
nada -
the primal sound
like bees conferencing,
louder during meditation,
nonstop!
LOFTY SCENE
sitting
side by side on
telephone lines more than
a hundred silent finches face
the sun
NATURE'S ARTIST
softly
giant snowflakes
land on spruce tree's limbs
covering blue-green needles with
pure white
FALL'S PLAY
curly
brown oak leaves skip
along the frozen ground
playing until finding a deep
crevice
PYRAMID'S BLESSING
sunrise
behind Cheops
is a majestic scene
too awesome for any chatter -
light spreads
TURKEY GATHERING
turkeys
eighteen wild ones
clustered in one large yard
an Early American dream
food fest
CALIFORNIA LAMENT
mud slides -
yes, mud does slide
with no trees to hold it;
when will we learn to honor trees,
strong trees?
DIRT HILLS
ant hills
now everywhere -
how do they make such mounds
so fast and do they expect them
to last?
SUN
the sun
looks down on all
from very lofty perch -
its rays touch everything, how does
it feel?
TECHNOLOGY
YouTube -
an explosion
of amateurs posting
videos on the internet;
what's next?
SWAN TIME
nesting
the mated swans
stay close by, protecting
cygnet eggs from hawks, racoons,
wolves
and me!
WORSHIPPER
snaking
through the garden
a harmless green reptile
heads towards a low rock to
sun bathe
BIGGEST MOON
July
the huge moon month
honors the sadguru
by those seeking enlightenment
and bliss
ICE PALACE
tree limbs
glisten with ice
in the morning sunshine;
this fairyland lasts only a
few hours
ROSE FRAGRANCE
the rose
slowly opened
in the dew, in the sun
sending its delicate perfume
aloft
ROBIN TIME
red breasts
are prevalent
now that it is spring time
searching the softening ground for
fat worms
SPRING'S EARLY GIFT
lilacs
springtime's perfume
lavender, white and pink
clusters of small-petaled branches
in vase
BEACH WOES
beach sand
between my toes
cannot wait to wash them
get them squeaky clean and
air-dried
to dance
CURIOUS
squirrel
came down tree trunk
while I was leaning there
meditating, silently stopped
to stare
SNOW AGAIN?
blizzard -
snow out, white out,
piling around the cars,
obliterating everything;
too much!
AIR WAVES
Hear it?
The birds calling
a conference today,
trills respond from bushes
and trees;
Spring Fest.
INSPECTOR
buzzing
the edges of a
rhododendron the bee
tests the quality of pollen -
it passes
ALIGNMENT
Baba
Siddha father
Swami Muktananda
disciple of Nityananda
is free!
LOVER'S CLOCK
time stops
when lovers meet
caught in the ecstasy
of the moment but speeds up through
the years
EARLY AIR
taste it
the morning air
before the smoke stacks blow
before the autos exhaust gas
early
EROSION
shore lines
erode in time
by the ocean's currents -
a battering ram of endless
water
YELLOW TROUBLE
weeds those
dandelions
scattered throughout my yard
prevent my lawn from looking green
blowhards!
GREEN GRASS
the grass
got a haircut;
so lovely the first day,
even the smell of chlorophyll
lingers
EAGLE
black wings
span seven feet
large white breast and hooked beak
two eyes that see great distances
eagle