- Think about when you met, and your first times together. This is to get the love juices flowing. Marriage counselors will often ask bickering couples to talk about when they first met when tension levels get high. This makes the partners remember those first days when they were crazy about each other, and reminds them of why they liked the person to begin with. Make a list of things you like about your sweetheart now that the juices are flowing.
- Make a list of sensory data.Descriptive words make poetry more interesting, and it is easier to write with a list at hand. Remember to include all senses not just sight. There are more than the five you can probably easily name. Here’s a more complete, but debatably still incomplete list: sight, sound, hearing, taste, touch, motion, emotions, and balance. Maybe you felt butterflies in your stomach, like the room was spinning, or your cheeks became flush.
- Based on what you have written, choose a theme of your poem. Is it going to be a story? Do you want to tell about their beauty, why you respect him or her, or show appreciation? Just ask yourself why this person deserves a song. Then let that answer lead you to the theme.
- Get Started. It’s the most difficult task just to get started. Look at your sensory data. Use a description to set the scene, and then say what you need to say. So the format can go something like: Set the scene-> Make your point. For example: Pounding heart, warm summer breeze, smiles and coffee, etc. Once you set your scene, it should be easier for you to convey what you want to say. Group your lines together to tell the story in parts.
- Avoid clichés. Unless your sweetheart has awful taste, he or she will not be as impressed with all too common clichés. Examples include: “You are so beautiful, fell in love, true love, rest of my life, words can’t express.” Don’t use phrases that you’ve heard in songs. In fact, avoid using the word love all together. You will be forced to describe or use metaphor to show your true thoughts and feelings.
- Revise. You can use a rhyming dictionary and look up synonyms in a thesaurus to find better word choice. Look for parts that are unclear or don’t fit with the rest of the poem. Change these parts or get rid of them. Rearrange the poem to make it more discernible. Maybe your opening lines work better at the end?
- Have someone else proofread your poem. Use someone you know will be objective to give you feedback. Remember, people have different tastes, so have an idea of what you think may need improvement and ask them specific questions. For example, “I am not sure if the part about me having second thoughts is going to be confusing to him or her.” Then you may get a response like, “well it would be easier to understand if you wrote a line about why you don’t have second thoughts now.”
- Figure out a great way to present the poem. Do you want to just hand them a piece of paper, or do you want to send them flowers at work with your poem? I printed poetry on bookmarks to give to my sweetheart. She loves them. I added digital pictures of us using photo editing software and printed them at a drugstore. You can make three bookmarks out of one 5x7 print. If you are planning on reading the poem to your sweetheart make sure to give him or her copy too.
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Published : 2010-02-11T16:52:00+07:00