The Seven Cardinal Cinquains

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The Seven Cardinal Cinquains

by some1else @ 05/07/2008 – 09:38:45

Hey, first of all apologies to all for the unexpected silence on my part. A quick trip to Hong Kong (I can thoroughly reccommend it to all) and a temple stay saw my time with the laptop diminish somewhat suddenly. Anyway, enough with the excuses, I'll jump back in with a poor attempt at a new genre. Can't say I'm too impressed with the idea of cinquains, they seem more of an exercise in thesaurus writing, but it's just as likely that I didn't really understand what they're all about. Anyway, when I had the idea it needed to be written so here it is, what do you think?

The Seven Cardinal Cinquains

Lust
Sexual desire
Looking, wanting, needing
Obsessive thoughts of others
Covet

Gluttony
Over-indulgence
Eating, consuming, exceeding
Nothing is ever enough
Nimis

Greed
Insatiable acquisition
Increasing, longing, craving
Always yearning for more
Avarice

Sloth
Idle laziness
Wasting, despairing, uncaring
Depressing lack of zeal
Apathy

Wrath
Spiteful revenge
Loathing, raging, hating,
An uncontrollable, overwhelming abhorrence
Anger

Envy
Despising happiness
Wishing, aspiring, desiring
Sorrow over another’s joy
Begrudge

Pride
Conceited narcissism
Overbearing, presuming, preening
Excessive love of oneself
Arrogance
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15 Comments on The Seven Cardinal Cinquains

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- ranfuchs ^Pro
- 05/07/2008 @ 09:43:18
didn't make it any clearer. I still don't understand what they are all about
- - some1else
  - 05/07/2008 @ 09:53:44
  They're kind of like Haiku and the system I was trying to follow is simply:
  
  Line one: Decide on one word title (noun).
  Line two: Choose two words that describe your title (adjective).
  Line three: Choose three words that tell you something that the title can do (verb).
  Line four: Choose a four word phrase that describes a feeling about your title.
  Line five: Think of one word that refers back to your title (synonym).
  
  Hope that's clearer. I just wanted to do it because I thought of the title and quite liked it perhaps I should learn when not to write .
  - - ranfuchs ^Pro
    - 05/07/2008 @ 09:58:34
    this is an unlearnable skill
    - - some1else
      - 05/07/2008 @ 14:12:30
      I can't tell if you're being ironic or not, but even if you are I'm not sure I'd disagree .
      - ranfuchs ^Pro
        
        05/07/2008 @ 15:42:04
        
        sometimes I don't know myself
        
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- kateandco
- 06/07/2008 @ 10:05:34
I think your writing is fine, Some1else, and I love that name tag, by the way. You seem to like experimenting with different ideas. Your topic here reminded me of Buddhist philosophy - is that what you had in mind? I took my stuff off of the website because I didn't like the idea of it hanging around in cyberspace. I did find that writing on a daily basis for a 'live' audience did have the effect of giving my writing the immediacy it was lacking. I am fine, since you asked. How are you?
- - some1else
  - 13/07/2008 @ 14:46:53
  Thanks. Can't think that I had much in mind specifically, though it was a little while ago now.
  
  That's fair enough about stuff lingering but I'm glad it helped with the writing.
  
  I'm okay, things ticking by nicely except my general lack of personal time. I find when I have time to do things I'm recharging more than I am actually doing something fun or writing or blogging or anything, just sort of chilling and not working. But, we have a week of holiday for summer so a bit of time spent on a beach will be very welcome .
  
  Something I thought to comment on some time back was points of view. Sorry this is a bit out of the blue, but I've read about points of view being dangerous things for writers and the best thing to do is to stick to one or two. Can't remember specific times I thought that, but a small (late) critique if it's still welcome.
  
  Glad you're doing well.
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- oldblindog ^Pro
- 08/07/2008 @ 04:27:36
I like it. I particularly enjoy your ability to experiment with various genres. Working for the government for many years, it took a while for me to get out of that particular writing style. Your versatility is excellent.
- - some1else
  - 08/07/2008 @ 13:11:15
  Cheers, and thanks for the compliment with regard to versatility, which is a much better word than noncommittal
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- deleted user (Visitor)
- 09/07/2008 @ 09:02:42
I like it.
- - some1else
  - 13/07/2008 @ 14:39:47
  cheers
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- la_spice
- 13/07/2008 @ 13:43:18
Excellent - very well executed

Funnily enough I've recently been looking at poetry forms and in particular cinquain and terza rima.
- - some1else
  - 13/07/2008 @ 14:18:19
  Thanks, it took a fair effort to get very little in return. Can't say I've had any experience with either form before this, but Dante makes it look easy enough . good luck with any attempts you make .
  - - la_spice
    - 13/07/2008 @ 14:23:13
    I don't like having to work within limits and prefer just to let it flow. A friend who is an English teacher told me that I should try different forms as a sort of discipline. I doesn't seem to work for me!
    - - some1else
      - 13/07/2008 @ 14:35:28
      I can relate to that. I occasionally try different things simply as writing challenges, but at the same time you've got to write what you've got to write. Personally I think emotional writing is the most fun .
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The Seven Cardinal Cinquains

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