4 Heartfelt Poetry Collections Perfect for Your Holiday Romance
Are the holidays heating up your love life? Cuffing season is in full swing, new winter rom-coms are streaming, and maybe you’re looking to get cozy by the fireplace or by the mistletoe. Poetry can help fuel your romantic fantasies and ignite newfound flames, or it can add a fresh spark to long-standing relationships. Want to pick up a book as a surprise gift for your partner, snap a picture of a romantic poem and send it as a good morning text, or quote a few stanzas in a cute, thoughtful note? Get inspiration from these sweet and swoon-worthy collections.
LVOE. Volume II by Atticus
Atticus’ LVOE. Volume II depicts the dazzling hope of newfound love and how truly loving ourselves can help us find it. Just as he did in its poetic predecessor, LVOE., Atticus reflects on love’s instrumental role in life and in finding meaning. If you’re in a relationship, the illustrated and emotional poems in this collection are perfect to share with your partner. If you’re looking for love, these words by Atticus will help you celebrate your confidence and inherent worthiness, as well as reassure you that you’re already on the path to finding connection.
Couplets by Maggie Millner
While Couplets by Maggie Millner takes its reader on a tumultuous journey, the confessional and award-winning novel-in-verse is above all an exploration of how love can help us connect with our truest selves. Ultimately, it shows how following our internal compass, even when it’s difficult, will lead to love we couldn’t have imagined. Millner’s debut collection is a dive into queerness and coming-of-age, with poems illuminating a relationship’s role in taking us away from our comfort zone and instead toward necessary growth and discovery. If you’ve been needing to make a change in your dating life or to be more bold, the urgent and evocative poems in Couplets will help you do just that.
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
When people think of the greatest love poets, they often cite Pablo Neruda as the first example. In fact, his Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair stands out as one of the most widely translated poetry collections and as a Penguin classic, with revamped, beautiful collector’s editions frequently released. Neruda is known for writing richly sensual poetry and bringing the most visceral, often indescribable elements of love to life through his words.
Love Poems by Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni’s Love Poems, containing work from throughout the poet’s career, takes the weighty and universal concept of love and breaks it down to share the daily details and little moments. Scenes like laying in bed, making an omelet, and taking a hot shower gain new and profound reverence and importance within these poems. While it may seem like love should always be big and cinematic, these vignettes challenge this idea and instead present how love can crop up within even the most basic, yet magical elements of our routine.
These are our favorite romantic collections to read, but what if love is spurring you to write? Check out our tips for writing a passionate poem.
