10 Featured Poems about Love and Vulnerability from The Poetry Bandit
Jon Lupin, also known as The Poetry Bandit, is a poet from Vancouver whose writing is sure to resonate with readers. He is an authentic storyteller who pens his poetic works with wisdom and wit, sharing his experiences in an honest and genuine way. His words about love, heartbreak, recovery, and healing are profoundly moving and relatable. Here are 10 pieces from The Poetry Bandit about love and healing that will resonate with readers in all phases of life.
“poetry is a
bandaid for the
wounds
nobody sees
but you.”
This piece is a beautiful representation of what poetry means to The Poetry Bandit, and surely to so many others. The words we give our wounds help us on our individual paths to healing. We each have scars that no one sees, but poetry serves as a salve to soothe our hurting souls. Poems help us process pain and heal from it in our own way. It’s what makes the art form so precious.
“when you arrive,
let yourself in and
leave your skin
at the door
because in this house
we don’t hide
who we truly are.”
This poem reminds us of the importance of authenticity. In the world of social media, so much of what we see is perfectly filtered, curated, and timed. But the secret to true connection is having the courage to show your heart and soul, flaws and all, without edits or conditions. This vulnerability is always a welcome visitor in our hearts and our homes as we get to see each other through fresh eyes.
“sometimes,
love is
knowing when to
use a period
instead of a
comma.”
The Poetry Bandit shares a lot of wisdom about love in his poetry, and that includes reflecting on when to stay and when to walk away. Not every love will be a forever kind of love. Sometimes love is learning when to let go. Sometimes love is learning to appreciate the length of the relationship and the lessons it brought while making peace with its chapter ending.
“i want that simple love
again.
you know, the kind that
makes you feel
like we’re all in this together.”
The right kind of love, romantic or otherwise, reminds you that you’re not alone. It leaves you feeling supported and seen. Life sometimes complicates our experiences with love, but in its simplest and purest form, love will find a way to remind us of what really matters.
“it should not be
love which fuels us,
but rather,
the courage to love
when it is not
guaranteed
to be returned.”
This piece acknowledges the courage it takes to love, even when it isn’t reciprocated. Exposing your heart to another person is a scary experience, and heartbreak is sometimes the result. In a world of uncertainty, courage is always the prerequisite for love. We don’t always receive the love we give others, but each attempt is admirable and requires tremendous bravery.
“finding yourself
after trauma,
after bad stuff,
after feeling
like garbage,
well,
that’s the endgame,
and it’s one
i’m ready to
play.”
When we experience hardship, or even a hard season, we can be left feeling lost and discouraged. Trauma can create distance and pain, and it requires time and effort to find our way back to ourselves. This poem acknowledges the difficulty of the healing process while encouraging readers to play the game anyway with the end goal of peace in mind.
“false love
must die a
true death,
so that
true love
may never die”
False love masquerading as the real thing has broken hearts and shattered expectations for so many people. It is often hard to differentiate between a true and false love, and it can be even harder to let go of a false love when you so desperately wanted it to be true. But at the end of the day, this poem is a poignant reminder that false loves have shelf lives, and we need to let them go in order to move forward and make room for genuine, lasting connections.
“just put one heartbeat
in front of the other
and you’ll be just fine,
i promise.”
This simple piece packs a powerful emotional punch. When things feel hopeless, we need to remind ourselves to slow down, breathe, and say to ourselves: day by day, heartbeat by heartbeat, step by step. Healing is a moment-to-moment experience. Moving forward is a huge show of strength for each and every one of us.
“she could be bruised.
she could be cut.
she could bleed.
she could be
put under a broken
world.
and still,
she would heal,
dust herself off,
and tell you
she will be
okay.
because she is
built of tougher stuff”
This poem is the picture of a resilient woman who has gone through pain, heartbreak, and loss. She has been wounded by a broken world and walked through the debris to healing. This piece is such a beautiful testament to strong women and their stories, and it will surely resonate with readers who see either themselves or a loved one in the words.
“chaos has no
purpose
if there is no
restoration
afterwards.
this is what it means to forgive.”
It can be so hard to see purpose in a painful situation or a chaotic world. Chaos on its own is simply that: chaos. Our personal experiences with chaos are complicated, but we all share common ground in our desire to hold onto hope. Hope can empower us to face our chaos with forgiveness, which emboldens us to start the process of healing through resilience and a heart for restoration. This poem gets to the core of what our hearts are capable of, even in the midst of chaos. It’s a beautiful, hope-soaked reminder for all readers.
