Writing a love poem for your special someone is a romantic gesture as well as a creative way to express your deepest, most genuine feelings. You need not be an English scholar or literary genius to write a poem. On the contrary, anyone can learn how to write a love poem by following some basic steps.
Having a clear idea of what you want to convey is perhaps the most important part of writing a love poem. Start by asking yourself some questions such as how long have you known the person that you’re writing the poem for? What, in particular, do you admire or love about the person? Are there any events, locations or moments, relative to the person, that stand out in your memory?
Quickly write down whatever words or phrases come to mind, remembering that it doesn’t need to be in poetry form; you are simply doing a quick free write. You could also make a list, write a quick description of the person or jot down a paragraph about a specific memory. Having things written down will be useful as you begin to write your poem. Once you have the ideas down on paper, you can use and mold them to create your poem.
While you may have a long list or a lot of ideas, it’s important to select thoughts and ideas that correlate as you don’t want a poem full of random ideas and feelings. Find some common elements then narrow down what you want to say. For example, you could write a description of your relationship: how you met, how you felt and how you feel now or you could describe your significant other’s various qualities. Keep it fairly simple, being careful not to overwhelm with too much disconnected information.
Start crafting your ideas into poetic lines, focusing on how you’d like the lines to end. Do you want to rhyme? Rhyming makes poetry fun to read and enjoyable to listen to but it is not required. While some of the best and most famous poets don’t write poems that rhyme, rhyming appeals to many, so it might be worth it to give it a try. If you find that rhyming limits your ability to express yourself, use other poetic devices like rhythm. There are many ways to create a rhythm. You might wish to learn about the different meters, like iambic pentameter and iambic tetrameter, both of which can be researched online and learned fairly easily, with some practice. You can also create an informal rhythm by trying to keep a consistent number of syllables in each line. A good goal is to have ten syllables per line, alternating which syllables are emphasized. Read your poem aloud so you can get a sense of the rhythm and whether it works or not.
Another key to writing a love poem is to use imagery. Try using metaphors, or comparing one thing to another with a concept. The line, “My love is like a red, red rose/that’s newly sprung in June”, from Robert Burns’ poem, “A Red, Red, Rose”, is a great example of a metaphor. Burns uses metaphor effectively as he creates a comparison by bringing something familiar to mind. When used correctly, metaphor can be a powerful poetic tool as imagery typically evokes a variety of emotions and memories in a person.
As long as you are sincere, you can write a love poem your special someone will appreciate and treasure. Consider buying some flowers or chocolate then find a balcony or a romantic park where you can read your poem. You might choose to frame it or put it in a card. Not only will your poem express your true feelings but, in giving it, you will create a whole new memory that you and your love will remember for years to come which is truly a priceless gift.
