I'm in agreement with you about the anything-goes "haiku" contributing to low regard for the haiku, Jerry.
I don't think it's possible to take the cinquain seriously because there aren't any certifiable Great Poems in the form. Sonnets? Lots. Even villanelles or sestinas? Sure, some. Triolets? Uhhhh, can't think of one. Cinquains? Nope. So maybe the challenge should be "Write the Great English-Language Cinquain" (or Triolet, as you wish).
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Steve Schroeder
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