How many times must I say this? How many times until you learn? How many times until you trust me? How many times is enough? How many? Ah, the frustration of repetition. I just said that! We have gone over this a million times. I have it figured out, why not you?
Funny, you would think I would have learned by now…
When I was finishing my PhD thesis, I submitted it for review by the department head. If he gave it the a-okay, it went to final submission and then to the Viva or oral defense. I had used my official name on the thesis, a name which very few people knew me as, including our department head. I don’t know if this would have altered some of the more abrasive comments about my lack of clarity or the missing elements, but I’d like to think so. I had been working on this thesis for 7 years and I had thought I was done. I was not. Once I picked myself up off the floor, and had a good cry at my Mum’s, I went back to my supervisor to see what was salvageable.
The main issue was that I had left out a discussion of an intrinsic foundational argument. The lead up to or history of the subject if you will. At first, I was affronted, of course I had laid that foundation. It was all there in black and white, what was he talking about?
Alas, sometimes when you sit with a subject for so long and you know the ins and outs of your thought process so intimately, you fail to see that not all of your ideas and meanings are self-evident to the rest of the world. Nor, for that matter, to your department head.
I’ll admit it hurt. Deeply and emotionally to read some of the remarks made in an off-handed, dismissive tone. My first chapter and beyond peppered with “she fails to see” and “has she even read…?”
What I had failed to see was that I had been unclear in my meaning. My foundation was rushed, so that I might dive into the meat of my argument, the areas that held my fascination and joie de vivre.
I rush. I am impatient. I miss steps. Sometimes in my rush to the good stuff, I leave out a few steps. And it ends up biting me in the tuchus.
Fast forward to my first year teaching – I told my students, “right. Over the weekend, you need to write a 2-5 page paper on the following topic…” I asked, “do you understand?” They nodded their heads, collected their stuff and went on their way. Monday arrived, I held out my hands for their papers and not one, not one student, turned it in. I was livid. “What on earth are you all thinking?!” “What is going on here?” A few brave souls put up their hands and said, “we didn’t know what to do! You didn’t even give us a handout!”
It’s true; I hadn’t. I wasn’t teaching college students anymore. I was teaching high school Sophomores, and they needed a lot more guidance than I had given them. I had failed to see, again. So, I set aside more time for paper prep and as the years passed that time grew and grew. Writing isn’t easy, especially in the beginning! Oh, and the middle, and the end….

I am learning to become less frustrated with repetition. To stop and make sure the foundation is solid before jumping into designing the attic lounge area. Which brings me to another form. A poetic form that works on a step-by-step process of poem making. It is short, sweet, and specific. A good form to practice a “one foot before the other” process.

A cinquain is a five line stanza. There are three separate forms that qualify as cinquains and each holds a specific purpose.

The first form centers around word count for each line. It may be written about anything. It’s used to describe a person, place, or thing.

Line1: One word
Line2: Two words
Line 3: Three words
Line 4: Four words
Line 5: One word

The second form is strictly about a specific noun, but not (usually) a specific person–in rare occasions, I have seen them about specific objects. For example, it may be about a cup, a specific trophy, a work of art, ect.

Line1: A noun
Line2: Two adjectives
Line 3: Three -”ing” words
Line 4: A phrase
Line 5: Another word for the noun

This third form of cinquain is most easily adapted to various subjects. Its focus is on syllables. Feel free to use it any way you like, just stick to the form.

Line1: Two syllables
Line2: Four syllables
Line 3: Six syllables
Line 4: Eight syllables
Line 5: Two syllables

Finally, here are my attempts at each form of the form:

1.
Love
Pure Joy
Quiet calm devotion
Compassionate true fellow-feeling
Empathy

2.
Stream
Strong, wide
Flowing, Freeing, floating.
It winds ever on –
River

3.
Thunder
Growling in clouds
Waking the sound sleeper
Forcing its way through the night’s sky
Silence