
HAPPY SPRING CINQUAIN

Life gets so busy, and I’m finding it harder and harder to post on the website the way I used to. I miss it. And I decided today that it has been entirely too long since I have written some cinquain — or since I have written about coffee. So I decided to combine the two subjects and here’s what I came up with.
PICK-ME-UP
I need
A pick-me-up.
And I know what will work:
A cup of fragrant, fresh-brewed joy —
Coffee!
It’s great
At any time.
One cup won’t be enough.
I feel inspired to brew up a
Full pot.
YES!
🙂
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!
*******
Coffee
Is on my mind.
A smooth yet robust roast:
Tantalizing aroma and
Rich taste.
I must
Now brew a pot —
Enough to share with friends.
A treat this special deserves to
Be shared.
Be nice.
It’s not too hard.
It takes some discipline
But much less energy than when
We’re mean.
Lighthouse
On edge of cliff,
Stands serene and secure,
Consistently abating dark
With light.
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.)
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.
Worry
Is such a drag.
It’s weight upon my soul
Drags down my body and my mind;
Wastes time.
Jesus
Had much to say
‘Bout giving it no place:
“Do not let your heart be troubled;
Trust Me.”
His words
Are quite profound.
They mean I have a choice.
So I’m replacing worry with
His love.
Drowning:
Engulfed by loss.
Deluged and overwhelmed
In loss so deep I despair of
Rescue.
Crisis:
Where is my faith?
That beacon in the dark
That once did lead me straight to God
Grows faint.
His Word
Still beckons me
To listen and believe.
Oh, that my heart could answer, “Yes!”
Once more.
~~~~~~~~~
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.”
~~~
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.)
I admit that for this Day 2 cinquain I did not use the actual word coffee. But I stand by the poem as indicative of the allure and satisfaction that only coffee can bring. 🙂