14 Poems to Read to Celebrate Valentine’s Day & Love All Year Round
Is there anything better when it comes to celebrating Valentine’s Day than reading a good love poem? Especially in times of increased isolation, nothing can make us feel quite as connected and cherished as those beautiful words that can make our hearts race in an instant.
From the simple and sensual to the romantic and unexpected, here are 14 love poems you’ll want to keep by your side for all eternity:
“Mountain Dew Commercial Disguised as a Love Poem” by Matthew Olzmann
A true stunner, this poem by Matthew Olzmann is filled with the everyday beauty and simplicity of love, in both relatable and unexpected ways. The opening lines read: “Here’s what I’ve got, the reasons why our marriage might work: Because you wear pink but write poems about bullets and gravestones. Because you yell at your keys when you lose them, and laugh, loudly, at your own jokes.” The poem, which was published in 2010, can be read in full on Rattle.
“Sink Your Fingers into the Darkness of my Fur” by Ellen Bass
There’s no denying the desire and longing in this Bass poem. “This is our life, love. Why did I think it would be anything less than too much of everything? I know you remember that cheap motel on the coast where we drank red wine, the sea flashing its gold scales as sun soaked our skin...” a section of the poem reads. Read the poem in full on Poets.org, where it was published as part of their Poem-a-Day series in 2020.
“Untitled” by Rachel McKibbens
Powerful and passionate, this McKibbens poem is overflowing with beautiful imagery and dazzling repetition. One section reads: “Go with the one who loves you biblically. The one whose love lifts its head to you despite its broken neck. Whose body bursts sixteen arms electric to carry you, gentle the way old grief is gentle.” It demands to be read time and time again, which can be done through Poets.org, or viewed in the video below:
“Morning Love Poem” by Tara Skurtu
So much can be said and felt when it comes to this one little poem. Published by The Minnesota Review, this Skurtu poem is lovely and definitely pulls at the heartstrings. “It’s hard to say ‘I need you’ enough. Today I did. Walked into your morning shower fully clothed.” Read the rest of the poem here and prepare to melt.
“Countdown as Slow Kisses” by Michael Wasson
Wasson’s poem is sensual and filled to the brim with desire. Published in the Poem-a-Day series, the passion within the poem when it comes to the body and wanting just jumps off the page (or screen). It opens: “Here on my knees I look for the single animal: you left ravaged at the edge of a meadow...” The full poem can be read on Poets.org.
“Object Permanence” by Nicole Sealey
Written for her husband and fellow poet John Murillo, this poem from Sealey is imbued with love down to its core. It makes the heart sing and even drop a little at the speaker’s final realization. The opening lines read: “We wake as if surprised the other is still there, each petting the sheet to be sure.” This beautiful poem can be read on The American Poetry Review’s site.
“When I Tell My Husband I Miss the Sun, He Knows” by Paige Lewis
Tender and meaningful, this Lewis poem focuses on the simple act and intimacies of two people deeply knowing each other. Part of the Poem-a-Day series, a line from the poem reads: “He paints my name across the floral bed sheet and ties the bottom corners to my ankles. Then he paints another for himself.” The rest of the poem can be read on Poets.org.
“Ode to the Beloved’s Hips” by Natalie Diaz
Diaz’s poem overflows with desire and sexiness (and even includes some brief references to Star Wars & a Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock song). Both lyrical and luminous, the poem demands many rereads. From a section of the poem: “They are the sign: hip. And the cosign: a great book—the body’s Bible opened up to its Good News Gospel.” You can listen to Diaz read the poem in the below video from the Split This Rock poetry festival:
“She Ties My Bow Tie” by Gabrielle Calvocoressi
This short poem was recently selected by Victoria Chang to be featured in The New York Times Magazine and its sweet sentimentality flows through every line. A section reads: “No, this is the breeze my Love makes when she ties me up and sends me out into the world.” The touching piece can be read in full on the New York Times’ site.
“The Quiet World” by Jeffrey McDaniel
This popular poem from McDaniel quite literally focuses on the understated and quiet intimacies of love. In a world where the government only allows a certain amount of words to be spoken per day, the speaker states: “Late at night, I call my long distance lover, proudly say ‘I only used fifty-nine today. I saved the rest for you’.” The poem can be read in full on the Poetry Foundation’s site.
“The moon rose over the bay. I had a lot of feelings.” by Donika Kelly
Beautiful and grounded in elements of nature, this Kelly poem is awash with all the loving feels. A section of the poem reads: “To the roses, white petals rimmed brown, to the yellow lined pavement, to the house trimmed in gold ‘I am in love’.” This stunning poem can be read in full on Poets.org.
“Love Poem Medley” by Rudy Francisco
What’s so great about love? Francisco, a spoken word poet, lists the ways with musical and romantic imagery. A section of the poem reads: “I’m gonna be honest. I’m not much of a love poet but if I was to wake up tomorrow morning and decide that I was gonna write about love–my first poem, it would be about you.” The video of Francisco’s performance of the poem has been viewed over 680,000 times and can be viewed below from Button Poetry:
“Bride” by Maggie Smith
Smith’s poem is full of that all-important type of love: self-love. In a tweet last year, Smith described it as a “poem about being your own valentine [and] belonging to yourself.” The final line of the poem reads: “Darling, I say, I have waited for you all my life.” This phenomenal poem can be read in The New Yorker.
“i love you to the moon &” by Chen Chen
This poem is truly out of this world and reimagines a classic expression when it comes to love. Published as part of the Poem-a-Day series, a part of this tender and charming poem ends: “let’s love each other (so good) on the moon, let’s love the moon on the moon”. The poem can be read in full on Poets.org.
What are your favorite love poems?
