Birds Of A Feather

Birds Of A Feather

My cat
is old. All she
wants is food, warmth and a
comfy knee. My cat's a home bird.
Like me.


Poem copyright Bernard Young


The above poem was my first attempt at a cinquain. It got published in an anthology for children called The Works and has appeared in print many times now in different parts of the world.

Like a haiku a cinquain has a standard syllable pattern. It was invented by Adelaide Crapsey, has a total of 22 syllables, 5 lines, and a sequence of 2, 4, 6, 8, 2. The last line is often used to add impact or a twist to the poem.