How to Write a Love Poem

It’s harder to write a good love poem than you think

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Ah, love. The subject of millions of poems, over years and centuries. It’s been compared to roses, to horses, to pottery — you name it, it’s probably been used as a metaphor for love in a poem. Yes, even nuclear explosions! So you’d think since everyone seems to love a love poem, they’d be easy to write, yes?

No. You can certainly write an ordinary, banal, soppy, simpering love poem without any problem, especially one that rhymes (badly) — think moon and June. You can probably even write a fairly decent love poem, if you wanted. But the challenge for a poet is always — how can I write something original and unique?

That’s why love poems are so hard. It’s all been done before.

So what’s the solution? Firstly, to seek out a range of love poems and especially look for ones that do it differently. A poet like Billy Collins always seems to find a unique perspective — “The Lanyard” is about a boy’s love for his mother, “Aimless Love” is about falling in love with tiny things throughout the day. “The Song is You” by Marilyn Nelson is about a musical instrument no longer loved by its owners.

Then think about where your urge to write a love poem comes from. Is it inspired by a particular person? An overwhelming emotion…