Creating Love Poems
I find it a strange paradox that so many people love reading poems which describe love, yet fail to live that poem in their own lives. How can it be that something as artistic as a love poem can do so little to inspire the reader to act out the essence of what they read, for the benefit of their partner. Does this make them hypocritical?
To clarify my point, I need an example. Typical, many love poems centre around the death of a partner and the desperate longing and pain which a cruel twist of fate can wreck upon an otherwise blissful union. The reader of this type of poem has their emotional appreciation for beauty and value elevated (albeit temporarily) whilst they ‘experience’ the poem. Momentarily, they feel the loss which the poem describes and it touches them. Yet, do they return to their partner with a new found sense of urgency and a desire to treat them with more love and appreciation? Not usually, I suspect. The benefits of a poem appear to be short lived and appeal more to those who wish to engage in the quick fix of an emotional high, without accepting that this fix should come at a price of increased thoughtfulness.
An underlying truth about love poetry is that it helps us focus on what we have. It reminds us of the feelings, security, companionship and ‘pure’ love that we currently possess. However, even with this reminder, we still return home to our partner and threat them as a vehicle for our own happiness. Sometimes, understanding the essence of a poem can help us understand our own actions or the lack of. The trick, is to use poetry to heighten your own powers of appreciation. As you become more thankful for what you have, you can use this energy to benefit the person you love. This should in turn strengthen your relationship and hence the poem becomes more than just words, it becomes a tool to enrich lives in a very real way.
Don’t read poetry and miss the point - leaving a feeling inside you without providing an action to complement it is such a waste. Therefore, the next time you read a love poem, make up your mind to carry the essence of that poem through to some gesture which will highlight the love that you have in your life. Creating a love poem need not mean putting pen to paper - a completely selfless act by one partner for another can write an entire love epic.