Theme · 12 poems

Love Poems for Him

Love poems addressed to husbands, boyfriends, and the men who'd pretend not to be moved — but keep the card.

The most famous love poem in English was written to a man: Elizabeth Barrett Browning counted the ways for Robert, and 'How Do I Love Thee?' has belonged to everyone since. The tradition of poems for husbands and boyfriends is older and richer than the card aisle suggests — it just tends toward the plainspoken, which suits its audience.

That's the practical tip, too: men generally trust evidence over adjectives. A short verse built on concrete memories — the long drive, the bad joke retold annually, the coffee made without being asked — will outperform ten ornate lines. He'll shrug, say something deflecting, and keep the card for twenty years.