For Valentine's this year Daily Info asked you to send us your own Valentine's poetry, whether you're head-over-heels for the holiday or not! We were really impressed with all the entries we received - some sweet, some funny, some sad, all totally creative. Below we've collected some of our favourites:
Comedy for two
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Comedy at North Wall?
Just me and you?
A fairy's light
In this life there are countless blessings
To me you count for most of them
Your fire brightens mine
And your soothing spirit calms it
There isn't a day I haven't felt in awe of your beauty
Nor a second I haven't wanted to bask in your warmth
This day is special, a day to remember. A moment to appreciate the gift of your light.
Puppy Love
I kissed my prince and he turned to a frog,
The more men I meet the more I love my dog
Contentment - Nasreen Majeed
As I fold his shirt, I think back
Yesterday was celebration,
smiles, tears of joy
loved ones gathered, music and dance
Now we are alone, Man and Wife
The morning sun on his sleeping face
His fringe, falling boyishly over his eyes
Sipping his coffee, not quite awake
He reaches for and touches my fingers
We needed no words to express
Why did we meet? I know not
Yet reason there is, for sure
I ask for time enough, to understand,
As we live this life, together
Some days profound, some mundane.
I return to this moment
A gift, which is certain
He is beside me now,
As I hold him, I feel so free
In this, I find all contentment
With apologies to Shakespeare
My mister’s eyes are nothing like the sun;
For a start, they’re hazel, and warm rather than burning balls of gas
I don’t care if snow’s white when we have so much fun
Joking and appreciating each other’s ass.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such gifts for me he seeks,
Yet in his arms is there more delight
Than in the breath that from flowers reeks.
We’re always flirting, yet well I know
That chemistry is trumped by common ground;
I’m luckier than I’ll ever know,
To have such a fit soulmate found.
But after all, it matters not
For my love is so much more than hot.
Capitalist Brew
Roses are red
Violets are blue
St Valentine would not approve
Of this capitalist brew!
Persian Soul
Cupid, the archer, took aim at my heart,
But my Persian soul wasn’t quite so smart.
I spun around like a dervish on a whim,
Lost in a trance, my head growing dim.
He missed my heart but hit my foot,
I stumbled and tripped on my dad's old boot.
“I’ve been busy,” I said with a sigh,
“Buying saffron, dates, and some love on the fly.”
You frowned at the dates, laughed at my rhyme,
But in true Persian style, I’ll try next time.
Let’s toast with Shiraz wine and a dish,
Forget arrows, dear Cupid, let’s make a wish!
My Empty Valentine
I don’t wait for the postman to drop
I skip past the red section in the shop
The only flours I get
Is plain or self raising
Dates or almonds
Are the only things I’m craving
I turn up the heating if I want to sweat
Spill a drink on the duvet if I want the bed wet
Love is more than one day
Oh yes that’s true
What about the other 364
To show your love is true
Valentine's Day Haiku
Love songs make me gag,
restaurants packed like sardines—
I'll date my duvet.
A prescription
Come in, who do we have today?
PA to St. Valentine
Troubles lately?
Burnout. I see.
You’ve had it with the twenty trillion messages
about the lack of messages
(Just say you forgot, you’re not some revolutionary on a barricade
“It’s just one day, I show you I love you every day”)
the fluorescentambiance
(but really, the fire hazards,
You should see the candles everywhere)
the gilded flowers –
Here’s a note for a leave of absence
Stay away from:
promises
expe¬ctations
reality checks
Do not engage with chocolatiers at any cost
even the reduced-price boxes on the 15th
Take care now love.
Yes, it’s already in the diary
Same time next year.
A Day to Celebrate
February 14th is a day to celebrate
your other half, not berate
those annoying habits they have each day,
The unhoovered carpet, the socks on the floor,
The pile of washing, wishing they did more.
Valentines is a chance to say
You still love them, every day,
For all the things they do to make you laugh,
For the comfort, the hugs, the memories of good times past,
The meals out, the wine, flowers, gifts and cheesy card rhymes,
They are all just to say;
Happy Valentines.
Ode to My Scatty Valentine
Oh, my dear, my scattered dove,
You lost your keys—again, my love!
Your hair’s a mess, your socks don’t match,
Your plans are always a bit of a patch!
You leave your phone in the fridge to chill,
And never remember if you’ve paid the bill.
You say, “I’ll be there at two” (at three),
Yet I still adore your chaos—can't you see?
You’ve got receipts in your coat, a random shoe,
A coffee stain on your shirt—just a hue!
But with every flurry, every misplaced thing,
You make my heart take flight, you make it sing.
So here's my Valentine, with love to you,
Scattered, disheveled, but sweet and true.
You're my mess, my clumsy art,
The perfect match to my loving heart!
Pub Love Crawl
I may be out of practise but it's you that I like
If I asked would you ride me like a rusty bike?
You've got me up in arms - is your body ready?
Give my hand a rickety press, don't go slow and steady
You and me come part and parcel, leaving you's a no-no
I won't be an arsehole. Love's not extinct: dodo.
Anything for you
I’d do anything for you to be mine
I’d climb a tree
Swing on a vine
I’d bungee jump
Get stung by bees
Be my valentine, oh please !
Yet another commercial opportunity
Valentine comes up in February
In a month where it's very cold
But- is it really necessary
To spend a bag of gold?
I don't really like the commerce
And all of that spending money
For me, you are my universe
And my only darling honey.
It's the simple gestures that count,
A hug, a kiss, a genuine smile
No point spending a huge amount
You just have to show it with style.
The Valentine Card (teenage torture?!)
Decades ago, a shy hapless teen,
Got a card full of hearts, what did it mean?!
My parents gave me their knowing smiles –
And warned me about those feminine wiles.
The wording was neat, re a kiss and a cuddle –
But just who had sent it -- all such a muddle!
Yes, I get the idea, the ‘mystery tradition’ –
But the lack of a name is a stupid OMISSION!!
Fifteen girls at the youth club, but just which one?
Had promised me ‘love’ – oh what had she done?!
Whose writing was it – there were no decent clues,
Then I narrowed it down, to one of the Sues.
A good lad at the club, I begged his advice,
His girlfriend might know, she was steady, and . . . ‘nice’.
But he saw the writing, and turned slowly red –
It was HERS on that card, oh, WHAT had I said?!
But that girl was clever, with him she would linger –
And soon she would have his ring on her finger.
She had an excuse, all ready to savour,
She’d just helped a shy girl, a Valentine favour.
But she couldn’t reveal the name in the frame,
That “wouldn’t be playing the Valentine game”!
I then moved away, but years later we met,
And she mentioned the card, she couldn’t forget.
She’d split up from Robert, it happens you know,
Now all on her own, two children in tow!
What might have happened, if I’d seen the light,
It wasn’t a “joke”, it was HER card that night?!
Solo
I cut the back of my thigh shaving in the bath
The stream of blood leaves a trail like rose petals
From the bathroom to the bedroom.
The bath was supposed to be an act of self-love
I love me today.
Bubbles, sheet mask, rose wine
Blissful isolation from the couples entwined
Solo acts of self-care and my phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’
The cut on my leg winks an oozing red eye
As if to say
Your plan didn’t work
Isolate yourself and you will still find ways to hurt.
Oxford Valentine
When my love smiles
He is fairer than the fair at St Giles.
Even his frown
Is sweeter than a summer’s day in Summertown.
His form is a treasure
Greater than the dons’ delight at Parson’s Pleasure.
The thoughts on his brain
Go round a corner faster than a cyclist on Queen’s Lane.
He is my beau:
More precious than a property in Jericho.
When he stands still
The view is lovelier than the dreaming spires from Boar’s Hill.
I’d love for him to be my Valentine.
From St Clement’s to St Aldate’s I’ll be his and he’ll be mine.
Shoot the messenger
In the 3rd century AD
There was much epilepsy.
Then Valentine of Terni spread a message of love
Which came right from the heavens above.
But some reacted with dread
And he paid with his head.
Beyond the Fairytale
They say love is easy, it is like a straight line...
An amazing fairytale, quite simple.
You find the one, you fall in love, and then you get married.
Happily ever after.
No one ever warns you about the adverse weather and the storms…
How in extreme wind, the line can blow in the wrong direction,
making the path of love confusing and hectic.
Making you lose direction, straying from the relationship.
No one warns you!
How the thunder and the lighting can strike unexpectedly,
just one bad day and it feels like the line of love is ending.
The quick changes in the daily temperature, hot and cold.
Leaving you shivering wondering about if it's worth it at all...
to keep to the path of love we walk on together.
But with all this adverse weather, if the line is strong...
It might not be a fairy tale, but it is worth it all.
Because when the sun is shining, and the trees start to bloom,
and the birds are singing in the morning twilight.
All I can think of is being with you!
Happy Valentine's day to my unperfect valentines!
Oxford, a Love
In Oxford’s twilight hush, where ancient spires unfold,
Our hearts awaken softly to a melody of gold;
On this enchanted Valentine’s eve, ‘neath endless skies,
Time, a silken thread, weaves love’s radiant lullabies.
Within the Bodleian’s vault, where whispered secrets gleam,
Each weathered page enfolds us in a timeless dream;
Every hallowed stone and weathered tome does softly harbor
A promise echoing endlessly, igniting love’s fervor.
Along ivy-clad paths, where history and hope entwine,
We stroll as the Cherwell whispers love’s eternal rhyme;
Each ripple sings of longing, each step is sweet design,
Joining souls in a glow, as infinite as divine.
Beneath Radcliffe’s dome, where starlit fates align—
A sacred verse inscribed in twilight’s warm embrace;
Oxford, our beloved Valentine, forever will define,
Our love, a masterpiece of heartbeats, time cannot erase.
Valentine’s Night
In Oxford’s pubs, where candles gleam,
We sat and talked, as though a dream,
The pints we raised, with laughter bright,
A fleeting joy on that sweet night.
Beneath the rafters, warm and low,
We shared our secrets, soft and slow,
A kiss amidst the clinking glass,
Bittersweet, as moments pass.
This Is Just To Say
(with apologies to William Carlos Williams)
I have read
the poems
that were in
the inbox
and which
you were probably
saving
for Valentine's Day
Forgive me
they were atrocious
some far too sweet
others inadequately cold