New York, NY (February 2, 2018)—In the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, more than one million individuals will visit Poets.org, the website produced by the Academy of American Poets, in search of the perfect way to express affection and devotion to their friends and beloveds.
"Poets, whose power is in part to translate great emotions into memorable language, have always written about love," said Jennifer Benka, executive director of the Academy. "And on the occasion dedicated to celebrating the bonds between us, there's not a better gift than a love poem."
In 2017, the top love poems shared on Valentine's Day from Poets.org were "How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day" by William Shakespeare, but Poets.org features thousands of poems that address love by both classic and contemporary poets, such as the poem "Poem Number Two on Bell’s Theorem, or The New Physicality of Long Distance Love" by June Jordan, which reads in its entirety:
There is no chance that we will fall apart
There is no chance
There are no parts.
Here are twenty more love poems on the subject of love— from budding romance to long-lasting relationships—selected by the Academy of American Poets:
"Love Comes Quietly" by Robert Creeley
"somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond" by E. E. Cummings
"These Hands, If Not Gods" by Natalie Diaz
"Heart to Heart" by Rita Dove
"Scaffolding" by Seamus Heaney
"Song Out Here" by Juan Felipe Herrera
"Happy first anniversary (in anticipation of your thirty ninth)" by Bob Hicok
"For What Binds Us" by Jane Hirshfield
"The Awakening" by James Weldon Johnson
"Holding Pattern" by Timothy Liu
"Syntax" by Maureen McLane
"San Antonio" by Naomi Shihab Nye
"Twenty-One Love Poems [Poem II]" by Adrienne Rich
"What was Told, That" by Rumi
"In Each Look Our Years" by Edwin Torres
"Poem I Wrote Sitting Across the Table From You" by Kevin Varrone
"Beside You on Main Street" by Jilllian Weise
"Imaginary Morning Glory" by C. D. Wright
"Ditty" by Kevin Young
"Blue Vase" by Cynthia Zarin
Importantly, unlike other poetry sites, all poems on Poets.org are published with the permission of the poet and have been reviewed by an editorial team.
About the Academy of American Poets
Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. The organization produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; National Poetry Month; the popular Poem-a-Day series; American Poets magazine; Teach This Poem and other resources for K-12 educators; and an annual series of poetry readings and special events. The organization also coordinates the work of a national poetry coalition working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.