Created and developed by the American poet Adelaide Crapsey in the early 1900, cinquain is a five-line unrhymed poem with 22 syllables arranged as 2, 4, 6, 8, and 2. It's name is derived from the French word cinq which means five. It is somehow related to the Japanese haiku and tanka.
Unfortunately, Crapsey died at an early age of 37 from tuberculosis so she was not able to develop the poetic form any further. Lately though, cinquain has been enjoying a healthy revival especially among haiku writers as well as other poets.
For instance, there is now a webzine and print publication titled Amaze: The Cinquain Journal, edited initially by Denis Garrison and Deborah P. Kolodji but later taken over by Deborah due to Denis' illness. Its maiden issue in hard copy, Vol. 1, Issue 1, debuted in August 2002. She also hosts a list server where cinquains are posted and critiqued by members.
Come back here often as I upload new cinquains from time to time. Enjoy!
