I am not a big believer in the Valentines Day hype, but I am a big believer in the beauty of the love poem/song. Great love poems & songs are often the most difficult to write, but are also often up there with the author’s finest works. Because when they work, they truly sing…
There are many love songs that I have carried with me over the years (Nick Cave’s, West Country Girl; Tom Petty’s, Here Comes My Girl to name a couple), but the one that is singing loudest inside of me at the moment is Lloyd Cole’s, ‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?’
When Cole poses the question, Are you ready to bleed?, it sends me every time. The openness this question demands is truly thrilling… here’s the proof:
As for me… I feel I have only ever penned a couple of love poems that I am truly happy with. Fortune, from my latest collection, Ocean Hearted, is my particular favourite so I will leave you with that. So no matter what day it is… may love find you wherever you are.
Fortune
and when, after I’ve wasted a lifetime looking
picking over poets, browsing beaches, shopping malls
when, after I’ve up and quit, you suddenly
adopt me, smiling from the carpet of the Royal George
when you renounce your wilderness and move in
living in the back room as its sage, my other
the one who will teach me to desire
only what happens
when you come, inscribed by solitude
dog-eared, faded, packed with former lives
inside you like a matryoshka doll
when you gather
when you fold
when you find me as the moon
found Li Po in his drunken boat
when you speak to my heart of its heaviness
the soft facts of erosion
when you whisper in that
infinite tongue all that the world allows
all one could wish for
though it can’t be
we both know
it is a wonderful love poem Graham.
it is always so hard not to fall into clichés of phrases or sounding corny, to be not too direct and not too indirect.
Are You Ready To be Heartbroken? – luckily we do not remember the answer when love comes.
It’s always been a fav of mine and always thought it had a loydish flow – was just reading it while listening to the opening chords of “ready to bleed” – works really nice – of course
and I really want to get straight so I’m of to read Norman Mailer and get a new tailor
great poem, i loved it. genuinely beautiful, reading it is like floating on a persian carpet, the magic flying kind. the thing about persian carpets is that every pattern is designed to accommodate a flaw in the weave. that makes them very
scientific in a sense. and love woven to accommodate both symmetry
and entropy, there results a strong fabric, however, you cant weave anything if any of the component parts goes awry like the spindle falls into the roller or something
I really enjoyed this poem Graham…must agree that you avoid the clichés of phrases ..well crafted.
RENEGADE FLOW
Heartbroken is only a state of mind
Some lies turning back to their real nature
Of dreams that had a life just by your will
Heartbroken is a step
On an unknown path
Leading to love
Break it so many times
You need to find the essence
Of the wonder powder
Or the wander power
I’ve always loved that song
Your poem is beautiful and tipota says it so well.