Director's Blog
Valentine’s Day may have come and gone, but that’s no excuse for slacking off in the romance department. And yet, if decades of male grumbling are to be believed, women are difficult to please. Even pop culture teaches us that it is virtually impossible for the average Joe to understand the intricacies of female thought.
This is hardly fair to either sex, though; even if the saying that "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" has some truth to it, surely we all have more or less the same wants and needs when it comes to relationships. Of course, there’s always room for individual differences, but the things that women on the whole want from their partners—love, devotion, passion, even humor—are all things that men can appreciate as well.
So while you could brush up on love poetry in an effort to impress your lady, the truth is that not all women appreciate flowery romance. That doesn’t mean, though, that literature has nothing to teach us about relationships—quite the contrary, in fact. Next time you’re trying to woo someone, why not check out the following poems to learn what women really want?
"True Love,", by Sharon Olds.We tend to think of love as being all about passion, but for many men and women, it’s the simple, day-to-day friendship and devotion that’s romantic. Olds gets that, and has written a poem dedicated to those quiet moments that truly make a relationship meaningful.
"I Wouldn’t Thank You for a Valentine,", by Liz Lochhead.In a similar vein, plenty of women think "red-padded satin hearts" with "sickly saccharine / Sentiments" are overrated. In this poem, Lochhead points out that the most romantic gifts tend to be those that have some personal significance.
"Now Touch the Air Softly,", by William Jay Smith.On the other hand, some old-fashioned romantic gestures never go out of style. This sweet, whimsical poem is just the kind of dreamy declaration of love many women fantasize about.
"New Face,", by Alice Walker."New Face" is about the ways love changes us. The idea that love can literally transform you into a new person is a beautiful one, particularly because, as Walker says, it means revealing a side of yourself that "no one else on earth / has ever / seen."
"Indian Summer,", by Dorothy Parker.In some ways, this is almost an anti-love poem, but it addresses an important issue; no one should have to fundamentally change herself to suit a lover. We want to be appreciated for who we are—not for who someone else wants us to be.
"Space-age Lover,", by Jennifer Brice.Some people will probably think that this poem verges on silliness, but that’s what makes it great. It’s joyful, exuberant, and fun—and in the end, don’t we all want someone we can laugh with?
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