On Writing Love Poems

Summary

The article advocates for the continued writing of love poems, emphasizing their timeless relevance and profound connection to the human experience.

Abstract

The author of the article "On Writing Love Poems" refutes the advice given in an MFA poetry class to avoid writing love poems, arguing that love is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Despite the teacher's silence on the matter, the author has persisted in writing love poems, believing that all poets should engage with the theme of love. The article suggests that love is the essence of human emotion and the driving force behind all poetry, including works that appear to be about other subjects. The author's own love poem-songs, written for their spouse, are cited as personal evidence of the power and importance of love poetry. The article criticizes academic environments that discourage love poems or rhyming, asserting that such constraints detach poets from the real world and their own emotions. Ultimately, the author encourages poets and non-poets alike to embrace love poetry as a means of connecting with others and oneself, arguing that love is a never-ending wellspring of material for poetry and song.

Opinions

Writing love poems is not a lost cause; they remain a vital and endless frontier for poets.
Great poets like Neruda or Sappho would have continued to write love poems throughout their lives if given the chance.
All poems, regardless of their surface subject, are fundamentally rooted in love.
The act of writing love poems can shape one's identity, aid in the expression and sustenance of love, and provide solace during adversity.
Journals that reject love poems or poems with rhyming schemes are seen as misguided, as they overlook the intrinsic value and joy of these elements in poetry.
Academic poets who dismiss love poetry risk becoming disconnected from reality and their own emotions, which can lead to a cessation of writing.
Writing love poems is not just for poets; it's a universal practice that can bring more love into the world and foster deeper connections.

A few reasons why a poet should never stop writing about love.

The worst advice someone ever gave me in a MFA poetry class was to not write love poems. They argued that all the great love poems had already been written, so to strive to write good love poems was a lost cause. To my surprise, the teacher didn’t chime in and say “That’s nonsense.” Instead, she seemed to support the idea, or at least believed it was worthy of discussion.

Fortunately, I didn’t take their advice. But I always remember how I felt after hearing that suggestion and the teacher’s reaction. I remember how irritated I was that this idea was acceptable in a room full of so-called poets.

I think if a person only writes one poem, it should be a love poem. And if Neruda or Sappho had lived 1,000 years, they would have written love poems for a millennium.

If you can only live one kind of life, shouldn’t it be a life filled with love? And if you can only be one kind of poet, I would argue that you should be a love poet.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that all poems — whether they be about revolution, sex, violence, friendship, etc. — at their core, stem from love. Love of humanity, love of language, love of self. And I believe that without love — the most human of feelings — there would be no reason for poetry at all.

As my poetry has evolved into music over the years, most of my best songs are love poems, and I’m immensely grateful that I wrote them. Here are two examples:

The lines in these poems have been critical to shaping who I am . They have helped me not only express love, but to find it and keep it fresh. The first song I performed at the most important event of my life — my wedding. Over the years, these verses have filled me with feeling and helped me work through the adversity that inevitably comes with love.

Worth noting, both of these poem-songs were written for the woman who is now my wife, not for an MFA poetry class. There is a good chance she would not be my wife if I had never written them. There is a 100% she would not be my wife if I had never felt them.

When I see a journal that doesn’t accept love poems, I find it is as ridiculous as a journal that refuses poetry that rhymes. Rhyming is a way of connecting language that makes our souls dance with delight, even if we don’t know why. In that way, it is very much like love: ineffably beautiful and mysterious. It’s no coincidence that the most popular musical genre of the past 50 years is Hip-Hop, the art of rhyming over a beat.

Poets should have no fear of writing love poems, and neither should non-poets or amateur writers. Writing love poems connects us to our feelings and allows to express and manifest love, something the world needs more of, not less. Most rewarding of all, by opening the doors of connection through verse, one inches closer to actual love.

One of the problems with academics, especially poets who are paid to teach poetry, is that sometimes they get, well, too academic. They become disconnected from the real world. I believe it is a poet’s job to stay grounded and connected to the real world, and there is nothing more real in the world than love.

I’m glad I never took my classmate’s advice about not writing love poetry, and I wouldn’t be surprised if my classmate has ceased to write poetry altogether since graduating from our program. After all, when a poet stops writing about love, the poet disconnects not only from the people, but more tragically, from themselves. And disconnecting from yourself is one of the surest ways to stop writing.