Poetry Comic Experiments

Something a little different

Hello, Poetry People!

I’ve been experimenting with a kind of variation of haiku lately. I’ve taken the structure of the Crapsey Cinquain, also called the American Cinquain, and combined it with several elements of haiku.

Adelaide Crapsey developed this form of five-line poem after being inspired by the early English translations of Japanese haiku. A cinquain is a five-line poem. A Crapsey Cinquain is a five-line poem with a meter of 2-4-6-8-2. It typically does not rhyme and usually has a title that echoes or foreshadows the imagery of the poem.

In many ways, a Crapsey Cinquain is more like a Japanese tanka than it is like a haiku.

I call my version of this poem a haiku cinquain, although I’m certain a better name will eventually present itself. I keep the 2-4-6-8-2 meter, but I do not title the poems beyond numbering them. From the haiku tradition, I take the ideas of writing about my observations of nature, the use of season words, a cutting line, and a sense of wabi-sabi.

When translating these poems into comics, I’m currently focusing on abstract images and geometric shapes. Below are my first three experiments.

Let me know what you think!

Be the weird you want to see in the world!

Cheers,