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Winona poet laureate Jim Armstrong says it’s not as hard as you might think.
“If you can think of 10 reasons why you love someone, that in itself is a powerful poem,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong says it’s important to be specific when writing a love poem.
“‘I love you’ are the most profound words we can speak, but they’re entirely generic. It doesn’t tell you about why or in what way,” Armstrong said. “The art of the love poem is to differentiate and explain and describe. The better you are at that, the better you are as a writer of love poems.”
The card aisle offers generic sentiments that don’t come from you, Armstrong said. He suggests looking to poets like Pablo Neruda for inspiration. Neruda wrote 100 poems for his wife. Some talked about his love for her eyes and hair. Others praised her gardening skills and the way she kept their home.
“A love poem needs to make a person feel like there’s a reason for that exclusiveness,” Armstrong said. “There’s a reason why I chose you and not someone else. That’s really romantic.”
Grammar and spelling aren’t nearly as important as the feeling behind the words, Armstrong said.
“The thing about the love poem is you have a guaranteed audience,” Armstrong said. “You get a lot of credit just for trying.”
How to write a love poem
- Think of all the things you love about your significant other.
- Avoid being abstract. Use specific examples of things you love.
- Use your own vocabulary. This is coming from you, not Shakespeare.
- If you decide to rhyme, avoid using cliché rhymes like rhyming “love” with “dove” or “above.” Try using near rhymes or combinations of words that aren’t usually heard.
- Don’t be afraid to exaggerate.
- Practice makes perfect. Don’t just save your poetry for Valentine’s Day.
Source: Jim Armstrong, Winona poet laureate
Käri Knutson is a reporter at the Winona Daily News.
