Cinquain

ABOUT SNOW

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Well, it’s snowing here in Southern Illinois, USA. We got a thorough cover of ice last night, and now the snowflakes are coming down fast and furious — sort of hurling themselves at the ground, almost as if they are trying to beat each other to the goal. I don’t like snow on the roads and walkways, but I enjoy watching it come down — and I enjoy the fresh, pristine look of everything that is covered in brand new snow. I just wish it could land on only specific areas and leave the others untouched. I’ve written a poem or two about my ambivalent feelings, and I felt like writing another one today. So I decided I’d do a post that is a combination of a few snow poems and snow pictures. The poems are mine, but I’m featuring photos from my good friend Terry Valley, who is a professional photographer in Wisconsin. I hope you enjoy them.

SNOWY CINQUAIN

Snowflakes
On a mission,
Hurling steadfastly down.
Racing each other to their goal:
Whiteout.

*******

THIS IS DREAMING WEATHER

This is dreaming weather.
Nothing much to do
Except to watch the blizzard blow
And have a snack or two.

Yes, this is dreaming weather:
A time to contemplate
And set imagination free
To wander and create.

Ah, this is dreaming weather:
While by the storm confined,
Let my heart and soul take wings
And leave this world behind.

*******

SNOWCHILD

When I was a child, I thought as a child,
And snow was a thing so delightful.
From school we were free; we got wet to the knees,
And our mom’s day was thrown all off schedule.

But now that I’m grown, I must do on my own
All the chores Mom and Dad used to dread:
Stock up food by the loads, drive on slippery roads,
Shovel snow, and repair that old sled.

Now I look with dismay at the skies leaden gray
As I trudge to the store for supplies.
De-icer and salt sell out fast with no halt.
I need new boots to tread on the ice.

The wind from the north is bitter and harsh,
But my temperature, still it is rising;
I am in a foul mood, for I see nothing good
That can come from a snowstorm arriving.

But then the flakes start, and I feel in my heart –
Watching white, fluffy, wonderful, wild
Filling all of my world with such beauty unfurled –
That in truth I am still just a child!

*******

Drifting

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Drifting:
My mind’s aloft,
Swept by the winds of doubt.
Could lose my way unless I face
The sun.
Could lose my way unless I face
The Son.

(I’ve taken a little liberty with the cinquain form in the poem above, but I think it does a perfect job for the purpose of the message.)

Love & Marriage

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

 

Today would be my mom and dad’s 75th wedding anniversary — if they were still on this earth. They were very much in love their whole lives, and my sister and I benefited from their love because it made them terrific parents. I’m dedicating this little cinquain to them.


Marriage:
It takes a lot
Of effort and good will,
And love that puts another first.
Quite rare.

But two
People I know
Invested selflessly
In two becoming one with great
Success.

 

Love Cinquain Collection

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

 

Now that we have moved into the “month of love,” I thought I’d dig back through my cinquain archives and take a look at some of the love cinquains I’ve written in the past. I will have to write some new ones this year, of course, but I enjoy reading those from past years and remembering what triggered the idea for writing them exactly as I did. This list isn’t comprehensive, by any means. There are several more on the same theme. But these caught my attention this week. So I hope you enjoy this little trip down cinquain memory lane with a focus on love.

DIAGNOSIS

Heart pounds;
Palms sweat; mouth’s dry;
Can’t seem to concentrate.
Is this some rare disease? No, wait:
It’s LOVE
~~~

MY QUEST

My quest:
Looking for love.
I want a love that lasts
Beyond the transient flame of lust
‘Til death.
~~~

MY HEART’S DESIRE

My heart
Longs to find love
That takes me as I am,
But makes me so much better by
Its pow’r.
~~~

LOVE’S SIGHT

Some say
That love is blind.
Not so. Instead I find
True love seeks out and focuses
On good.
~~~

SOLITARY LOVE

Tears fall.
Hard to believe:
I thought we had it all,
But now I find I loved alone.
He’s gone.
~~~

HOW TO LOVE

Loving
Done correctly
Is more a matter of
Faithfulness and honor than of
Feelings.
~~~

REACHING THE GOAL

Today
I walk the aisle
And give to my best friend
My hand and heart for all my life;
“I do.”
~~~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three-Day Coffee Cinquain Challenge — Day 3

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Okay! We’re finishing up the first full month of 2021 on a great note: with coffee and cinquain. What better combination is there?
(Well …. maybe coffee and chocolate … but we’ll do that again later.)

photo courtesy of Annie Spratt @ pixabay.com

Ooopsie!
Don’t want to spill
Or waste a single drop
Of this delicious coffee in
My cup.

Three-Day Coffee Cinquain Challenge — Day 1

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

I decided it’s time I wrote about coffee again, and I like to challenge myself to write about a common topic in an uncommon way. So I’ve decided to close out January with a 3-day challenge to myself to write a brand new coffee cinquain for the last 3 days of the month. And if any of my viewers would like to join the challenge, you are very welcome to do so. Just write your own coffee cinquain on your own site and hop over here and put the link to it in the Comment Window below. If you’re not familiar with cinquain, you can find an explanation on my poetry site at this link: Ahyoka/Cinquain.

So let’s get started with Day 1’s poem.

photo courtesy of Biea @ pixabay.com

My day
Is starting right:
My coffee’s black and hot,
My cup entwined in happy leaves.
Content.