5 Poems by Danielle Holian about Love, Heartbreak, and Healing

In her latest poetry collection, The Dilemma, Danielle Holian takes readers through the cycle of love, loss, and healing in a relationship. Each section is focused on a different stop on the emotional journey, from falling in love to dealing with the fallout of a broken heart. Readers will relate to Holian’s raw and honest experiences as she faces the highs and lows of love on her way to acceptance and healing. Here is a glimpse into the love story laid out on the pages of Holian’s book. 

Soothing Lullaby

You were the soothing lullaby
With a soft echo
That sent me to sleep
Dreaming of a reality
Where you and I
Were safe throughout the night
And at sunrise.

This poem is such an accurate depiction of the way our souls react to new love and the potential we see in it. We dream about it; we wish for the kind of love that stays, outlasting the dreamy first stages and standing on solid ground in the sunlight. 

Chemistry

Chemistry was the mystery solved
When my heart captured yours
The remedy to remove everyone before you
Replacing them with silence
And now I know when sparks fly
When stars shoot across the sky
You and I live in a universe unknown
To the rest of the world
And I believe in love.

Full of fire and passion, this poem describes how it feels to fall so fully in love with another person. It’s a personal piece, but one that many can relate to as they think back on the moment when everything shifted and they knew that they found someone who would make a lasting impact on their heart, for better or worse.

I Love You Back Together

Your neglected soul
Makes me trace your scars
On your body
Telling me stories
Of a life before me
I give you love and freedom
A place to call home
As I comb through your memories
Brushing past the cobwebs
I understand your beauty is traumatic
It is why I love you back together.

As Holian’s collection progresses, you can feel the love story deepening, moving past the “new and shiny” phase to the real, vulnerable stage. This is the part where we truly open up to one another and let each other in. It’s where we start seeing our partner’s faults and fears and seek ways to make them feel comfortable letting their guard down, trusting us with it all. 

Tired

I grew tired of giving
And receiving nothing
You broke my spirit
And took my love
My strength weakened holding onto our relationship
I walked away with my head held high
Knowing my energy would pour into something satisfying one day
A day when I realize you took me for granted
And I deserve better
Down the line finding someone worthy of my love
Loving me in all the ways you could not

I tried
for you
for me
for us
but it was
never enough
and now
I’m tired.

As the narrative advances, we feel the pain the author experienced as she gave to someone who couldn’t love her back. Her story is raw, yet so relatable as she details the internal struggle and emotional toll it took on her. 

The Hardest Lesson

The hardest lesson to learn
Was learning everything is temporary,
love
moments
people.

In a world so hectic I remain
In moment of hurt
soft
vulnerable
grounded.

I came to the conclusion
It is balance
I had been happy for too long
Without sadness creeping in
It was out of my control to fix.

So I let it be
Letting it hurt
And learning to love again.

Holian does a beautiful job in each section of her book describing the things she observed and experienced in her own love story. You feel the passion and happiness alongside her as she falls in love, as well as the pain and sadness she experiences as that love fades away.

You get to walk through her journey with her and see glimpses of her healing process, including the lessons she learned along the way. While highly personal, Holian’s story is so relatable, particularly for those experiencing heartbreaks of their own.

Poetry is deeply emotional and born out of our hearts, so it is always a treat when a writer can explore a relationship’s cycle of emotions in a way that draws readers in. 

For more from Danielle Holian, be sure to check her out on Instagram.