How to Write a Valentine Poem That Rhymes

Getting the Creative Juices Flowing

Brainstorm. For a perfect Valentine’s Day poem, sit down and think about love. Start writing down words or even draw pictures that remind you of your sweetheart. Professional poets often use this technique to begin capturing words and concepts later used in verse.

Read or listen to love poetry. If you’re still having trouble, reading a Shakespearean sonnet might spark your creativity. Or, listening to audio recordings of famous love poems could help finally unleash your ardor on the page.

Record personalized details. A truly memorable poem is one that incorporates intimate details from real life. Writing about things such as your partner’s likes and dislikes, pet names and shared experiences adds an endearing touch to your verses.

Develop a list of rhyming words. In keeping with the theme of love, look at the list of words you’ve already created. Now think of several rhyming words to match. For example: me|see, birds|words, sweet|treat.

Arranging Your Poem

Choose the number of lines. Will four verses be enough to broadcast your devotion? Six? Eight? Generally speaking, the newer your relationship the fewer lines your poem should have. Your new crush could be overwhelmed by a sixteen line sonnet, whereas your partner of a year might find it adorable.

Decide on your rhyme scheme. After you’ve determined the number of verses, you should decide how you want the rhymes arranged. Placing words that sound similar to each other at the end of each phrase is known as an end rhyme. This is the easiest and most popular option for a do-it-yourself love poem. If that form is too limited, however, there are many other variations you can experiment with over time.

Keep the same number of syllables in each line. For a balanced poem pay attention to the number of syllables in each verse. They should be roughly the same so the poem will have a balanced, natural rhythm. For example: “You are beautiful/You are very bright/Hang out more with me/You’ll be outta sight.” Each verse contains exactly five syllables (5/5/5/5). You can choose to make alternating lines of verse different lengths, however. Just make sure to follow the same pattern throughout the poem. 5/3/5/3, for instance, or 7/4/7/4. If you’re unsure how to count the number of syllables, there are several online tools to assist you.

Record your poem. Laying out your emotions in verse can be tough task. But if you’ve taken the time to generate ideas and create a basic structure to convey your thoughts this part will happen naturally.

Just do it, then redo it. If you're still wavering over your work, don't. Even writing out a few lines represents a great starting point. But be prepared to revise your poem substantially, adding or deleting words or phrases as needed. In fact, reworking your verses is a normal part of the process. According to many professional writers, practice will always help hone your lines to where you want them to be.

Finalizing Your Work

Think about how best to present the poem. Do you want to deliver your Valentine’s Day verses on simple notebook paper? Or, would you like to compose them on colored cardboard using glittery letters? Or would you prefer to read your verses aloud? How you choose to share your poem is another way in which you can personalize your message.

Create your final product. After choosing a delivery medium, write out your words as neatly as possible. No matter how memorable your lines, if your sweetheart cannot read them then all your hard work will have come to naught. You could also type and print them out. But you lose the individual touch by doing so. At this stage you can also choose to decorate your poem with pictures or drawings to personalize it further.

Edit your verses. Before final delivery take the time to remove any poor grammar or misspellings. You want your beloved to be focused on your thoughts, not your mistakes. Your words should not only convey devotion and caring, but attention to detail.