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Romantic Poems

“Women fall in love with their ears, men with their eyes” might be a cliché but is still true.

There is a reason that Nora Roberts books, Jane Austen novels, and the words of William Shakespeare are bestsellers and favorites of women everywhere. What's that reason?

Women enjoy reading the story of a great romance. They are seeing the words, but they are really "hearing" the conversations of the characters, just as they would in a movie.

When you buy her a book of love poems, you’ll be in good company.

Giving a book of poems has been a traditional romantic gift for hundreds of years. Statesmen, presidents, diplomats, actors, politicians, businessmen, and of course, poets…have given poetry as way to express themselves.

I know what you might be thinking. I don't like poetry! I remember having to try and find hidden interpretations in high school and I don't understand it. Or...which book? How do I decide?

Relax, buying poetry can be easy. Poetry is not that different than song lyrics, and you like the words to your favorite songs, right?

How to Pick the Right Book of Poems

Poetry, like wine, is for your pleasure. Love poetry is about capturing a romantic feeling, thought, or mood. It is meant to be enjoyed, in the way where you think, "Wow - they expressed what I'm feeling." If you have any negative memories of poetry, forget about them! By buying a book of poems you are going to become a sophisticated, great gift giver, and if you are trying to win her or keep her, this is the way to do it.

When picking a book of poems, be authentic. This book of poems you choose about the two of you...and no others. Shakespeare is a superb poet, but may not be the right choice. Modern poets use modern language, without "thee" and "thou". Find a poem you really connect with.

Start looking right now. There are several excellent websites that have poetry collections that are easy to navigate. My favorites:

poemhunter.com Poemhunter.com has a Craigslist quality to it. Thousands of great poems, a simple no-nonsense interface, and easy to search. This is excellent if you have dial up internet access as it is quick to load.

Use the left-hand navigation and select "Love Poems" or scroll down and have a look at the Top 500 Poems list.

You can create a "favorites" list while you are searching and...if you find that you are drawn to a particular poet...the site has downloadable PDF files of collections.

Poets.org Poets.org is a beautiful website, with all sorts of surprises.

"Love and Romance" section has separate categories for "Love" and "Lust" Ahhh...so true.
"Popular Themes" includes other categories like, "Weddings", "Heartache", "Friendship"
Free poetry Valentines - download these PDFs with lovely, sharp looking artwork.

You only need to find one poem. Read a few poems and find one that fits her personality, her looks, how you feel about her, or anything else that you like. Once you find "the one", all you need to do is find a book of poems that includes that particular poem. Before you leave the website, print or email that poem to yourself for your reference.

Buy it. If you plan to buy the book locally, to save yourself time, call ahead to the bookstore, tell them the name of the poem and ask them to set aside the book for you. Otherwise just ask in the store.

If you want to really make an impression and she is a serious booklover, consider getting her a special copy - a first edition, signed copy, or hardback with a beautiful cover. For these, you will need to find an antique or rare book store. You can check eBay as well.

A Few Final Touches...

These are recommended "extra credit" ideas and will put you in that top 1% of astonishingly great gift givers.

Dedicate It

Buying her a book of poems will make you a good gift giver, but taking the time to find one poem to dedicate to her will make you a great gift giver. In the front of the book, write a special note and reference the particular poem that is "hers". Something like, "To Katherine, page 43 is pure you. (or pure us) Love, John"

Bookmark It

To call attention to the poem you selected, but a beautiful bookmark and put the bookmark to mark the page of the poem you’d like her to read first, the one you’ve picked for her.