"Primavera" by Botticelli‘Vernal Equinox’ and Other Poems by Benjamin Cannicott Shavitz The Society March 20, 2025 Culture, Humor, Limerick, Poetry 3 Comments . Vernal Equinox Germans call this season “frühling.” Spaniards name it “primavera.” Welshmen say the term is “gwanwyn.” Shetland trawlers go with “voar,” so Let’s resolve this with a rüling: It is “springtime” in this era. Let the Anglophonic man win. Some speak Spanish — English more so. __Till that changes. . . The Trap We’re caught between an instinct that says “Live!” And one that says “Avoid all grief and pain.” We seek to quench our parchedness with a sieve And claim all other action is insane. . . Small Talk I ask a friend, “How are you?” Who really wants to cry. _I’m told, “I’m fine,” _A standard line, The edge of tact and lie. . . Benjamin Cannicott Shavitz received his PhD in linguistics from the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. He lives in Manhattan, NYC, where he was born and raised. He has published two collections of his own poetry (Levities and Gravities), as well as an anthology of public domain poems by New York City poets (Songs of Excelsior). His work has also been published in The Lyric. He runs two online businesses: one that teaches innovative, linguistically informed classes on language skills, including poetry writing, and one that offers dialect coaching for actors. See www.kingsfieldendeavors.com for an overview of his activities and www.kingsfieldlinguistics.com for his businesses. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. 3 Responses Joseph S. Salemi March 20, 2025 These are all perfect little confections of wordplay, each put together as carefully as the interior workings of a watch. The complex rhyme scheme of “Vernal Equinox” is striking and unexpected. This is what used to be called “macaronic” verse, that makes use of different languages. “The Trap” packs a lot of philosophical comment in four lines: hedonism, epicureanism, stoicism, and finally nihilism. As for “Small Talk,” it it seems to begin as a limerick but goes off in a different direction, to paint a very concise psychological picture: someone says he’s fine, but is lying, and the narrator remains tactful about his own perception that it is a lie. I can say about all three poems that they do a great deal of work in a very small space of language. Reply Julian D. Woodruff March 20, 2025 The rhymes in “Equinox” are virtuosic and fun, too. The other two are terse, hard, and true as the word of a prophet. Thanks for having all three posted. Reply Cynthia Erlandson March 20, 2025 These are all fun; “Vernal Equinox” is delightfully clever! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Joseph S. Salemi March 20, 2025 These are all perfect little confections of wordplay, each put together as carefully as the interior workings of a watch. The complex rhyme scheme of “Vernal Equinox” is striking and unexpected. This is what used to be called “macaronic” verse, that makes use of different languages. “The Trap” packs a lot of philosophical comment in four lines: hedonism, epicureanism, stoicism, and finally nihilism. As for “Small Talk,” it it seems to begin as a limerick but goes off in a different direction, to paint a very concise psychological picture: someone says he’s fine, but is lying, and the narrator remains tactful about his own perception that it is a lie. I can say about all three poems that they do a great deal of work in a very small space of language. Reply
Julian D. Woodruff March 20, 2025 The rhymes in “Equinox” are virtuosic and fun, too. The other two are terse, hard, and true as the word of a prophet. Thanks for having all three posted. Reply
