Valentine’s Day is closer than you think! So, what better time to explore love poems and romantic rhythms?
Research any book of poems and you’ll find one of the most prolific themes of them all is, of course, love.
Love offers a range of emotions that can be thoroughly explored through poetry.
But how do you crack the code of writing a love poem that doesn’t sound cliché and allows the reader to immerse themselves into the visual you’re trying to create?
This article explores what love poems are, how to write the perfect one, and our favorite contemporary examples
Time to get in touch with our feelings…
What are Love Poems?
Love poems are written pieces that conveys any form of love and the various emotions that stem from it.
This can include romantic love, sibling love, a love for a pet, or love for the great outdoors—anything that impacts you greatly!
Think of love poems as a window into your heart for the reader to peep through. Powerful, right?
People take different approaches to writing love poems. Some go down a humorous route and compose limericks while others create ballads to add drama and emotion.
Love is a complex theme to explore, so love poems need to creatively communicate certain aspects of it rather than attempt to tackle the emotion or experience as a whole.
This means the poet should aim to explore feelings of being in love, feeling a lack of love, yearning for love, and so on.
Choose Your Subject Carefully
What’s your inspiration?
Who or what is your muse?
Consider why you are writing a passionate poem. Once you’re clear on your subject and intent, it becomes a lot easier to let those words naturally flow.
Find Your Form
Between sonnets, free verses, haikus and all other poetry forms, you’ll want to find the form that feels right for you.
If you’re not sure how about this, let’s take a look at each form in a bit more detail:
Sonnet
Sonnet’s are known as a daily old form of poetry used by none other than Shakespeare himself! Originating in the 13th century, sonnet comes from the Italian word for “little song,” and it is typically made up of 14 lines. Most sonnet poems center themselves on love so it could just be the perfect form for your next passionate piece of writing.
Free Verse
As a more modern, popular style of poetry, free verse gives the writer a lot of liberation in how many lines and stanzas they can work with. Although the freedom of this poetic form seems like an easy option to choose, it actually is more tricky because of the lack of guidance!
Haiku
This ancient Japanese poetry form became globally renowned for its complete simplicity. Consisting of only three lines and only five syllables on the first and third line, Haiku form is a fun activity for anyone to try out—though it may not be your best bet for an intimate love poem.
Ballad
Evoking a dramatic and emotionally-driven story, ballads use a set form of four lines with a rhythmic scheme. You’ll find most pop songs these daycare ballads even though they originated from written poetry.
Have a Sensory Focus
Most poems center themselves on imagery to create a clear picture in the minds of readers, and love poems are no different.
They tend to rely on senses, symbolism and figurative language to connect with their audience and convey a particular message.
Think about what details you can draw from your subject. Andre Breton does a great job of pulling out the intricate details in his ode to a woman who he has not met, ‘Always for the first time’ where he describes his feelings as a “hopeless fusion of your presence and absence.”
Consider Metaphors
If there is anything that love poems are notorious for is their brilliant use of metaphors that can make you feel all sorts of emotions in one line!
Love poems are experts of comparisons in a bid to create flatter, however we’d recommend not over-using them. Instead add metaphors in places where you want the reader to feel or see something, otherwise the poem can become a little over-sappy!
Don’t Be Afraid to Get Vulnerable
Getting vulnerable with your poem is essentially the key to making it a genuine and gripping read. While it’s easy to immerse ourselves into a fictional story for children’s poems and that of similar style, love poems require honesty and raw emotion. The more realistic you are about your experience, the better your poem will be.
We end up dealing with writer’s block not because we can’t think of what to say, but because we fear letting the words in our mind come onto paper. But in reality, that’s what makes a great love poem!
5 Examples of Great Love Poems
In need of love poetry inspiration?
We’ve rounded up a list of our most adored poems that really touched our hearts.
Love and Friendship by Emily Bronte
Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly-tree—
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms
But which will bloom most constantly?
The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who will call the wild-briar fair?
Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now
And deck thee with the holly’s sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He still may leave thy garland green.
She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
Love by Carol Ann Duffy
you’re where I stand, hearing the sea, crazy
for the shore, seeing the moon ache and fret
for the earth. When morning comes, the sun, ardent,
covers the trees in gold, you walk
Yours by Daniel Hoffman
I am yours as the summer air at evening is
Possessed by the scent of linden blossoms,
As the snowcap gleams with light
Lent it by the brimming moon.
Without you I’d be an unleaded tree
Blasted in a bleakness with no Spring.
For him by Rupi Kaur
no,
it won’t
be love at
first sight when
we meet it’ll be love
at first remembrance
‘cause i’ve recognized you
in my mother’s eyes when she tells me,
marry the type of man you’d want to raise your son to be like.
