9 Best Love Poems to Make Your Heart Flutter

Best Love Poems

Love is a feeling that has been explored and celebrated through poetry for centuries. From the romantic sonnets of Shakespeare to the contemporary works of Rupi Kaur, poets have captured the essence of love and its myriad emotions in their verses.

Whether you’re in the throes of a new romance or have been with your partner for a long time, reading a well-crafted love poem can make your heart skip a beat and transport you to a world of tender feelings and profound connections. Adding to the essence of your relationship.

In this article, we have curated 9 of the best love poems that are sure to make your heart flutter and leave you in awe of the power of love. Read and enjoy!

Criteria for Selection

In our selection of the 11 best love poems, various criteria were considered:

• The poems had to capture the essence of love in a unique and memorable way,
• The poems had to demonstrate a deep understanding of the human experience.
• The poems had to be well-crafted, with careful attention to language, form, and structure.
• The poems also had to have withstood the test of time, continuing to resonate with readers across generations. And finally,
• The selection aimed to include poems from different eras, cultures, and styles, showcasing the diversity of the genre.

Now that we have shared the criteria for the selection process let’s enjoy the 11 selections below.

Overview:
“When You Come” is a poem by Maya Angelou that commemorates the arrival of a loved one and the joy and comfort they bring to the speaker’s life.

This is significant in love poetry because it emphasizes the joy and comfort that a loving relationship can bring.

Analysis:
The poem focuses on the simple pleasures of being in the company of someone who brings happiness and comfort, rather than the more intense and passionate aspects of love.

As it celebrates the everyday joys of love, this makes the poem accessible and relatable to a wide audience.

Significance of the Poem:
Overall, “When You Come” by Maya Angelou is a beautiful and accessible poem that celebrates the everyday joys of love and the transformative power of relationships.

Angelou’s unique perspective and personal experiences elevate the poem to the canon of love poetry. Read the full poem below:

When you come to me, unbidden,
Beckoning me
To long-ago rooms,
Where memories lie.

Offering me, as to a child, an attic,
Gatherings of days too few.
Baubles of stolen kisses.
Trinkets of borrowed loves.
Trunks of secret words,

I CRY.

Overview:
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote the sonnet “How Do I Love Thee” in the nineteenth century. The poem is part of Sonnets from the Portuguese, a larger collection of love sonnets published in 1850.

Analysis:
The themes of the poem revolve around the strength and depth of love. The speaker is in love and expresses her feelings passionately and earnestly.

The poem delves into the nature of love and how it can transcend time and space. The poem is written in a lyrical and romantic style, with a strong emphasis on the speaker’s emotional reaction to her beloved.

Significance of the Poem:
How Do I Love Thee” is significant in the context of love poetry because of its enduring popularity and influence. The poem has been widely anthologized and is regarded as an English literature classic.

Overall, this piece by Barrett Browning is a timeless poem that lyrically and emotively captures the enduring power of love.

Its enduring popularity and influence make it an important work of love poetry, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s personal and literary background add depth and context to the meaning of the poem.

Read the entire poem below:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Overview:
A Red, Red Rose” is a romantic poem written by Scottish poet Robert Burns. It was first published in 1794 and has remained one of his most popular works since then.

The poet compares his beloved to a beautiful red rose in the poem, which expresses his love and devotion to her.

Analysis:
This poem is about love, beauty, and timelessness. The poem’s style is distinguished by its simple yet powerful language and use of repetition, such as the repeated phrase “O my luve’s like a red, red rose.

The poem is structured as a series of four-line stanzas with an ABAB rhyme scheme, which adds to its musical quality.

Significance of the Poem:
In the context of love poetry, “A Red, Red Rose” is significant because it is a timeless expression of love and devotion.

Because of its straightforward language and universal themes, it is a popular choice for weddings and other romantic occasions.

The poem’s success has also contributed to Burns’ reputation as one of the greatest romantic poets of all time. Read the poem below:

O my Luve is like a red, red rose
   That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melody
   That’s sweetly played in tune.

So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
   So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
   Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
   And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
I will love thee still, my dear,
   While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!
   And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my luve,
   Though it were ten thousand mile.

Overview:
I carry your heart with me,” a love poem by the well-known American poet E.E. Cummings. The poem was first published in 1952 as part of Cummings’ “Complete Poems 1904-1962” collection of poetry.

Analysis:
The poem expresses the speaker’s deep love for their beloved, as well as how their love transcends physical distance and time. The themes in “I carry your heart with me” include love, unity, and eternity.

The poem’s style is distinguished by its use of repetition and parallelism, as well as its lack of traditional punctuation and capitalization.

The poem is written in a series of couplets, which adds to its musicality and reinforces the theme of unity.

Significance of the Poem:
This is one of poetic history’s most significant love poems because it expresses the timeless nature of love powerfully.

Love, according to the poem, can transcend physical separation and even death.

Its lack of punctuation and capitalization adds to its significance, implying that language and grammar cannot contain the depth of the speaker’s emotions.

Read the full poem below:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
                                                      i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you


here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart


i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Overview:
English poet and theologian John Donne wrote the poem “The Sun Rising” in the 17th century. The poem’s speaker confronts the sun’s dominance while professing his love for his sweetheart.

It is recognized as one of Donne’s most well-known compositions and was first published in 1633.

Analysis:
The Sun Rising has three main themes: power, time, and love. The poem’s style is characterized by the use of metaphors, such as comparing the sun to a peddler or a busybody.

The speaker of the poem confronts the sun and his sweetheart directly to show his dominance and authority. The poem is constructed as a theatrical monologue.

Significance of the Poem:
“The Sun Rising” is significant in the context of love poetry because it presents a distinctive viewpoint on the issue of love.

The speaker’s defiance of the sun and assertion of his own strength and dominance are metaphors for the passionate, all-consuming nature of love.

The poem also reflects broader cultural and intellectual developments of the early modern era, which included a resurgence of interest in individualism, subjectivity, and human agency.

 Busy old fool, unruly Sun,
        Why dost thou thus,
Through windows and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
        Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
        Late schoolboys and sour 'prentices,
    Go tell court huntsmen that the King will ride,
    Call country ants to harvest offices;
Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

        Thy beams, so reverend and strong
        Why shoulds't thou think?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long;
        If her eyes have not blinded thine,
        Look, and tomorrow late, tell me,
    Whether both th'Indias of spice and mine
    Be where thou left'st them, or lie here with me?
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou shalt hear, 'All here in one bed lay.'

        She's all states, and all princes, I;
        Nothing else is.
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
        Thou, Sun, art half as happy as we,
        In that the world's contracted thus;
    Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
    To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here, to us, and thou art everywhere;
This bed thy centre is, these walls, thy sphere.

Overview:
Nikita Gill is a British-Indian poet and writer who is the author of the poem “Take this as Your Sign.” The poem exhorts the reader to take advantage of the moment and go on pursuing their goals and passions.

Analysis:
The themes in the poem include empowerment, embracing change, and self-discovery. The use of vivid, sensual language and the conversational tone define the style.

The use of the couplet and free verse style gives the poem a sense of urgency and forward motion.

Significance of the Poem:
Because it exhorts the reader to love themselves and follow their own feelings and wants, “Take this as Your Sign” is noteworthy in the context of love poetry.

The poem serves as a gentle reminder that the foundation of any fulfilling romantic connection is self-love and self-discovery.

It has gained popularity as a motivational text because of its message of empowerment and seizing the day, which has found resonance with many readers. See full poem below:

When will you stop being afraid
of everything you can be. 

I have never seen the sky, nor the earth
wear their flaws like they are apologies, 

Instead they defiantly present them as
their truth, take it or leave it, it is up to you. 

When will you realise that you can still grow
forests from the scorched earth of your soul 

Remind yourself that the moon even with
her scars is still the fairest of them all 

It’s the light she gives to the world that
matters in the end, the calm of her heart 

When will you understand that
those broken parts of you have learned 

How to sing more elegant songs
than the loveliest of songbirds. 

Everything around you is asking you
to set yourself free, become everything 

that you do not think you can be. 

Overview:
American spoken word artist and poet Rudy Francisco’s “To the Girl Who Works at Starbucks” is a spoken word poem. The poem is a loving ode to a girl at his local Starbucks barista, expressing the poet’s respect and love for her.

Analysis:
Love, adoration, and the strength of regular ties are among the poem’s themes, according to one analysis.

The poem’s style is exemplified by its conversational tone, rich imagery, repetition, and metaphor usage.

When Francisco enriches the poem with his own unique experiences and emotions, it gains an additional dimension of emotional depth.

Significance of the Poem:
The poem “To the Girl Who Works at Starbucks” addresses the beauty of relationships that can be created in commonplace settings, like a coffee shop, making it notable in the context of love poetry.

The poem teaches us to value the people we come into contact with on a daily basis and serves as a reminder that love and appreciation can be discovered in unexpected places.

Overview:
Edwin Bodney’s poem When a Boy Tells You He Loves You discusses what it’s like to hear the words “I love you” for the first time from a boy.

The poem stands out for its plain language and use of strong images to communicate the experience’s emotional impact.

Analysis:
The poem’s themes include the fragility of love, the potency of language, and the value of sincere emotional expression.

The poem has a simple, approachable form, and the use of parallelism and repetition adds to its emotional power.

Significance of the Poem:
When a Guy Tells You He Loves You is unique among love poems because of its candour and sincerity.

The poem gives a genuine and honest picture of the experience of falling in love for the first time rather than relying on traditional romantic tropes. Enjoy the full poem below:

When a boy tells you he loves you
It'll be the first time you hear this
It is late and he isn't even there to tell you this in person but instead from a car ride home from a bar in Chicago he is there on business
And of course you will smile
Because he sounds like he means it
Because you believe him
Because a boy has never handed those words to you like crushed black berries in the palms of his hands
Firm, young, full
Waiting to taste sweet with you, his arms, creeping vines begging to touch the sun, and your face saying; here
Take everything I have ever touched to be closer to you
His breath waiting to be folded into a love note passed in between the nape of your neck and his front teeth
He will remember the time you told him you felt safe in his mouth and he will never grow hungry...
Just distant


When a boy tells you he loves you
You will hear music
The voice of your past lovers dancing up your throat
Your stomach, in after hours cabaret, still waiting on the last call
That was when you learned that when a boy says "I love you" he means I am getting ready to be inconsistent with you now

This boy will tell you that he loves you
Not long after he had you waiting for 2 hours in front of a cocktail lounge
Patience is something you are working on
But no, not for him
When he asks you to tell him that you love him back, you will be in a car in the parking lot of a late night diner
You will watch the words fall into your lap like a spilled glass of white wine
You will remember the day your courier pigeon heart got lost in the wind because that was a message it did not know how or where to carry and one by one the boys have fallen as silently as the birds do

So eloquently they used to speak until I asked the questions that broke them into ghosts
That bled me into a corpse with so many questions of my own for the soil but they're tongues do not know simple
The things I should be hearing, the things that will make us living men in this time of insatiable yet dying lovers
When a boy tells you he loves you
Only to become silent like a folded sheet of tissue paper
Not wanting you to decrease him into the truth

Do not crack your face into the fullest crescent moon of the tapered bottom of a blackened sky
He never meant a single word of any of it
He is just a boy, remember?
He is just another silly, sad boy, remember?

You can listen to Bodney’s performance of the poem below:

Overview:
Lang Leav’s poem Be The One is about the experience of falling in love for the first time. It’s a lovely and touching piece that captures the essence of the emotions involved.

The vulnerability and uncertainty that come with falling in love, the desire for reciprocity, and the fear of rejection are all themes in the poem.

Analysis:
The vulnerability and uncertainty that come with falling in love, the desire for reciprocity, and the fear of rejection are all themes in the poem.

The style is distinguished by straightforward language, which makes the poem accessible and relatable to a broad audience.

Significance of the Poem:
Because it represents a contemporary perspective on the subject, the poem is significant in the context of love poetry.

While traditional love poetry often romanticizes the experience, Be The One depicts the emotions involved in a more realistic and relatable manner.

Overall, Lang Leav’s poem Be The One is a lovely and relatable piece that captures the essence of falling in love.

Final Thoughts on The Best Love Poems

In conclusion, the nine best love poems offer something for everyone.

Whether you are looking for a timeless classic or something more modern, these pieces of literature showcase the many aspects of love in all its forms.

From the intense and passionate to the tender and sweet, these poems provide a beautiful insight into the depths of one of life’s greatest mysteries.

They can also serve as a reminder that no matter what hardships may come our way, love will always remain a constant in our lives.