Ariana Grande, Solange Knowles, Princess Diana . . . these and other Cancer icons showcase all there is to love about the intensely dreamy star sign. These compassionate crabs, born between June 21 and July 22, possess a reputation for wearing their hearts on their sleeves. While Cancer season memes may poke fun at this sentimentality, everyone who knows a Cancer can appreciate their many enviable, empathetic traits. The sign’s sensitivity pushes them to be more loyal and creative and motivates them to connect deeply with partners and friends. Whether or not you fall under this special sign, Cancer season 2020 invites everyone to step into a stronger confidence and sense of fulfillment. These four Cancerian poets lead the way.
1. “Poem for My Love” by June Jordan
Cancers stand out as one of the most romantic signs, a characteristic June Jordan—born July 9—exemplifies in this stunning love poem. Cancers also appreciate nature, and many refer to themselves as homebodies. This poignant poem celebrates the simplicity and comfort of love, focusing on how it arises in quiet, private moments.
“Outside the leaves flame usual in darkness / and the rain / falls cool and blessed on the holy flesh / . . . I am amazed by peace,” Jordan writes. “It is this possibility of you / asleep / and breathing in the quiet air.”
2. “One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII” by Pablo Neruda
Along with their nearly limitless capacity for love, Cancers have a strong intuitiveness. Neruda’s poem displays this perfectly, as Neruda describes the inexplicable love he has for his partner. He cannot explain it; he simply senses the feeling’s ingrained undeniability.
“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,” Neruda proclaims. “I love you directly without problems or pride: / I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love.”
3. “Under Stars” by Tess Gallagher
Cancers hold an endless appreciation for beauty, especially when it inspires them to reflect, daydream, and burrow into their complex interior worlds. In fact, the moon rules Cancer, which makes this nighttime meditation by Gallagher, born July 21, a powerful tribute.
“Again I walk into the wet grass,” Gallagher recollects, “toward the starry voices. Again, I / am the found one, intimate, returned / by all I touch on the way.”
4. “La Muse” by Anna Akhmatova
Visionary Cancers often delve into their imagination. Since they can feel that their emotions come on too strong for the outside world, this creates a tendency to have more internal conversations and be their own confidant. In “La Muse,” Russian poet Akhmatova, born on June 23, taps into this side of herself and revels within its magic.
“When in night I await her coming, / My life seems stopped,” Akhmatova writes. “I ask myself: What / Are tributes, freedoms, or youth compared / To this treasured friend holding a flute? / Look, she’s coming! She throws off her veil / And watches me, steady and long.”
Happy Cancer season! To fully embrace the sign’s wistfulness, try these nostalgic poetry prompts.
