INFORM POETS – QUINTAIN CASCADE

The cascade poetic form was invented by Udit Bhatia. For the cascade poem, a poet takes each line from the first stanza of a poem and makes those the final lines of each stanza afterward. Beyond that, there are no additional rules for rhyming, meter, etc. It can be based on any number of lines, with the tercet or quatrain being immediate choices. But the Quintain Cascade is based on the much more popular form of Quintet as it has no set measure or foot and has a rhyming scheme of a. b. a. b. b.

If it appears to be too taxing, a quatrain or tercet cascade will suffice. (That’s only because I’m feeling extra nice!)

So, a Quintain Cacade would look like this:

a
b
a(1)
b(1)
b(2)

c
d
e
f
a

g
h
i
j
b

k
l
m
n
a(1)

o
p
q
r
b(1)

s
t
u
v
b(2)

***

SARA’S QUINTAIN CASCADE:

TRIVIA

From sunny and hot in May
to cloudy and cool
on a mid-August day.
Kids are thinking school,
too cold for swimming pool.

On limbs of maple tree
red leaves dominate,
some already fallen.
Yard looks like autumn
has come ‘round to stay

Snap! Just like that, heat is back,
time to hit the beach.
Traffic jams on highway
cause trip to take twice as long.
Splat! Burst of rain, sun overruled.

When traveling home, a fog sets in;
cars crawl cautiously
with sight at a premium
on a mid-August day.

Commercials scream sale
on back-to-school supplies.
Puts a damper on play.
Instead of thinking summer,
Kids are thinking school.

We watch disasters unfold
on television news–
famine, floods and fires,
quash our weather woes, like–
too cold for swimming pool.

 

WALTER’S QUINTAIN CASCADE:

CONQUERER

She walks along within his heart,
surrender to her name and she declares her victory.
She, a young beauty a distance apart.
wielding the weapons of love. Her artillery:
raven hair, hazel eyes, her smile spells your captivity.

A tug of war in the tug of hearts,
no strings attached, you were matched
by your play of words. Soaring like birds
released, a reprieve of freedom granted,
she walks along within his heart.

She carries him with her as well,
his tender words become her shield,
protected by his expressive heart,
no surrender does she yield. His soul beckons.
Surrender to her name and she declares her victory.

His journey begins and ends
wherever she reside and he hides
in the rushes until she flushes him out.
Without a doubt, he is her target,
she, the young beauty a distance apart.

Hand-to-hand they take their stand,
vying eye-to-eye. Determined and delighted,
he fights for her honor, a prize secured
and her response is swift and accurate.
She wields the weapons of love. Her artillery

is not pervasive, she replaces
animus with amour. It is sure you will be
the prisoner of her heart right from the start.
Her beauty is your proclivity:
raven hair, hazel eyes, her smile / your captivity.

© Walter J. Wojtanik – 2016