Elements of a Great Love Poem
Writing good poetry isn’t as easy as it seems. Anyone who knows how to read and write can technically create a poem, but a poorly written poem can be worse than nothing when it comes to the language of love. A good poem, on the other hand, is a treat of words that can fill your lover’s heart with delight upon reading it. If you know that you don’t have much skill with poetry, you can always turn to the classic love poems found in the works of writers like Keats or Shakespeare. But if you want to give writing your own love poems a try, keep the following elements in mind.
Rhyme
Rhyming words seems like the most basic of poetic devices, as all of us have heard it in nursery rhymes and children’s books since the beginning of our lives. Rhyme is almost always used in song lyrics, as well. A poem that rhymes sounds pleasant to the ear and is easier to remember than a long speech. The thing to keep in mind is that rhyming verses should be balanced; make sure that the rhyming sentences have the same number of syllables and that they occur in an even pattern throughout the poem.
- Example: How happy I am that we can be
Together now, just you and me.
A poem’s meter is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that occurs throughout its lines. This creates a sort of rhythm to the spoken words, and is especially important in the creation of song lyrics. The way to make certain that your poem has meter is to read it out loud to yourself. Tap your fingers as you say each line to see where the stress naturally falls. If the meter is off, it will sound discordant.
- Example: I love you like life
I need you like joy
I breathe you like air
I feel you like warmth..
Imagery is crucially important to love poems, as the experience of love is so wrapped up in sensations. In a basic sense, to create imagery is to paint a picture with words. Use this to conjure up an image of the two of you together, or to share a memory with so much vividness that it will seem to be happening here and now. Think carefully about the words you use, which will make the difference as to whether your imagery is successful or not.
- Example: Perfume lingers in the air, sheets are petal-soft, and sunlight melts over us like butter.
This is a device that allows you to compare two separate concepts, such as an emotion with a food. It usually uses either the word “like” or the word “as,” which allows a direct comparison to be made. Be creative in your uses of simile, but take care not to overuse it. An entire poem filled with nothing but similes might destroy the effect.
- Example: My love for you is as deep as the ocean and as powerful as an active volcano.
Many writers consider metaphor to be one of the most complex and beautiful poetic devices. Like a simile, it is a comparison, but the two concepts are not separated and instead directly compared. A metaphor can be simple, contained in one line. Or the entire poem can be a metaphor, such as a description of a beautiful summer’s day that is also a description of your love. Creativity is the key to using metaphors—there are no limits whatsoever to what you can express!
- Example: Our romance is a flower, newly opened in the moonlight, its beauty there for all to see.
Love poems that tug the heart string and ignite the soul
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” may say just what you’re thinking, but if the love of your life knows his or her Shakespeare, you may find yourself all alone and wondering “what light through yonder window breaks.”
That’s because the real line of love spoken by Juliet was actually, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Thankfully, you don’t have to recall your high school English class to find the perfect love poems. Love poems can easily be found on the Internet these days, and if you go to the right site, you don’t even have to know the author or the poem. All you have to do is punch in the words you remember of your favorite love poems, and voila! – back comes the search result containing the love poems that will make the love of your life swoon and fall madly into your arms.
While you could labor over love poems yourself, trying to convey your deepest feelings, you can let some of the most romantic minds who have ever lived say it for you. Chances are good that if you’re in love, there are already love poems that capture it perfectly in beautiful, thoughtful prose.
Who wouldn’t love to receive a card with one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s classic poems:
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Who wouldn’t open their arms and their heart to such a lovely thought? Not only do famous love poems capture the essence of pure love, but they also show that you know your poets and poetry.
Of course, there are plenty of romantic poems from contemporary authors. If “thees” and “thous” aren’t really your speed, you can go with something more modern. As long as there has been love, there have been love poems.
Take for example, the eloquent words of contemporary writer (she’s on Facebook even) Celmarique Swartz:
You came into my life on a simple way
Told me you love me almost everyday
Showed me happiness and made me smile
I started to love you after awhile.
Told me you love me almost everyday
Showed me happiness and made me smile
I started to love you after awhile.
My wish is that our love may never die
I wished that from the day we gave us a try
When I woke up this morning you were on my mind
Love you completely although they say love is blind.
I wished that from the day we gave us a try
When I woke up this morning you were on my mind
Love you completely although they say love is blind.
Forever yours that's how I feel
I trust you completely for real.
I trust you completely for real.
Who says love and romance are dead? As you can see, love poems and the authors who felt so deeply that they took time to labor over each word and phrase, can say so much in so little space.
We are not only blessed that they have helped us express our deepest feelings through their love poems, but that sites exist where these words have been immortalized, so we can all express ourselves, even when we’re momentarily speechless, caught up in a moment of love and longing.
