Books

10 Fantastic Love Poems You Can Read Online

by Melissa Ragsdale

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it's the perfect time for some love poetry. After all, love and poetry go hand in hand, don't they? Nearly every poet has tackled the concept of love in their own way, and yet, finding a good love poem is harder than you think. Love is such a complex thing, after all, and so often poems about love are about love that has been lost. But when you find a poem that speaks to you, really expresses those happy feels you feel, it's like falling in love all over again.

So this Valentine's, find the poem that speaks to you. Whether you're planning on sharing it with your special someone, or just keeping it for yourself, poetry puts into words the things that are hardest to express. From classic, capital-L Love to love's more complex moments, these poems are just a sampling of the wide range of love poetry out there.

Plus, while we're at it, let's have a shout out to the amazing magazines and organizations that make so much poetry available for free online. Poetry is meant to be shared, and their exceptional work helps us do that.

Excellent for transcribing into Valentine's Day cards, or for just reading over and over again to yourself on the train ride home, here are some lovely poems to get the love flowing this Valentine's Day.

1

'Love Sonnet XVII' by Pablo Neruda

Matthew Ferrero/Unsplash

Available from Red Poppy in both English and the original Spanish:

"so close that your hand upon my chest is mine
so close that your eyes close with my dreams."

2

'The Wall Hanging I Never Noticed' by Dorothea Lasky

Available from the Academy of American Poets:

"I never noticed anything but you / But you but you"

3

'Flirtation' by Rita Dove

Available from Poetry Foundation:

"My heart
is humming a tune
I haven’t heard in years!"

4

'Architecture of a Love Poem' by Alexandra Peary

Available from Poetry Foundation:

"you look at the word Love written on the side of the/ Pharmacy in cherry-vanilla flavored cursive/ because this is where a love poem once stood"

5

'Love Poem' by Audre Lorde

Available from the Academy of American Poets:

"Speak earth and bless me with what is richest
make sky flow honey out of my hips"

6

'Imaginary Morning Glory' by C.D. Wright

Available from the Academy of American Poets:

"If blue
were not blue how could love be love"

7

'Love Poem for Amanda' by Kevin Burke

"When it feels like there's nothing left to trust, there is still this stillness."

8

'Last Meal: Breakfast Tacos, San Antonio, Tejas' by Laurie Ann Guerrero

Available from Poetry Foundation:

"Perhaps with coffee,
you’d have the little lobe
of my ear sugared as a wedding
cookie"

9

'Stridulation Sonnet' by Jessica Jacobs

Available from the Academy of American Poets:

"What sounds will your body make against mine?"