Crown Cinquain: A New Challenge

Writing contests! I love the challenge!

Squeezing 500 words into a complete story or crafting a poem according to strict rules is a wonderful writing challenge. It requires deep thinking and hones one’s writing skills.

This summer, I entered a contest for a CROWN CINQUAIN poem. Never heard of it. Not a real poet, like my sister or some of my writing colleagues, this was a unique challenge I couldn’t pass up. I had to dig for the explanation. Thank you to darksideofthemoon583.com for supplying such detail, easy to understand.

A Crown Cinquain is a linked form of the Crapsey cinquain, made up of five complete cinquains connected in a chain. Each cinquain follows the standard 2–8–6–4–2 syllable pattern, but the Crown Cinquain adds a special linking feature: the last line of each cinquain becomes the first line of the next cinquain. It forms a chain or link (or corona/crown) to the next stanza.

Structure

• Number of stanzas: 5 (25 lines total)
• Syllables per stanza: 2–8–6–4–2
• Line breaks: Required between stanzas (unlike the Cinq-Cinquain, where breaks are optional) 
• Rhyme: Optional
• Flow: The poem forms a “crown” or chain because each stanza links to the next via its opening line.

How It Works

1. Write the first cinquain in the 2–8–6–4–2 pattern.
2. Take the last line of that cinquain and use it as the first line of the next cinquain.
3. Repeat this process for all five stanzas.
4. The final line of the last cinquain does not have to match the first line of the first cinquain, though it can be a nice closure.

Here is the Crown Cinquain I entered, based on an animal theme. It won 2nd place in the White County Creative Writers Award for 2026.

“Chicken Little”

SURPRISE!
I fell in love
with a sweet yellow pet
hidden in my Easter basket!
Sunshine!

Sunshine!
An apt name for
my small yellow bundle,
making me smile each day – but then
he grew.

He grew.
My bright Sunshine
refused to play with me.
Sweet chick to a crabby rooster.
Too bad.

Too bad.
My friend Sunshine
now thought he ruled the roost.
Tried to take over the whole farm.
So sad.

So sad.
He lost his way.
Became chicken dinner.
There ain’t no Sunshine when he’s gone.
SURPRISE!

I’d love to see your adaption of a Crown Cinquain! Write it in the comments below!