Wednesday, November 24, 2004

You Don't Have To Be A Genius To Write A Love Poem

Love poems are a wonderfully romantic gesture and can often express your thoughts far more eloquently than verbal communication.

If you have some talent with words, why not take a few moments and try your hand at writing a poem for your lover? Just sit down and list all the reasons why you think they're special. Then put those thoughts into some kind of free verse format: a column of lines, roughly the same length, which may rhyme but don't need to.

Take some time to read over what you've written and you'll get a few ideas on how to improve a line or phrase. The point is to express your feelings as honestly and clearly as possible. Simplicity is the key. And if you're really motivated, you can spend half an hour of prep time reading some classical romantic poems to get your brain into that 'groove'.

Even if your poem won't win any literary prizes, the person you present it to will most likely treasure it as if it were composed by one of the great Romantic poets. People tend to value a personalized gift far more than one that's purchased. What they're really appreciating is the time and effort invested on their behalf.

I'd like to share a story of the first time I received a love poem.

When I was twelve years old I had a crush on Robert, the new boy in my class at school, and he had very generously decided that I was "cute". One afternoon we were waiting with some classmates at the bus stop when he announced that he didn't like me anymore. He was now in love with my best friend, Julie.

I was so incensed by this betrayal that I lunged at him and chased him down the street. He swerved into the gutter and I bolted after him just as the bus pulled in. It hit me from behind and I went down. The bus then ran over my right foot.

A short time later, the ambulance arrived and the paramedic driver examined me. He decided that I didn't need hospitalization so he drove me home with instructions to spend the next six weeks in bed. Meanwhile, a distraught Robert was blaming himself for the accident. He asked the other children at the bus stop where I lived, then walked the two miles to my house. Then he sat across the street on the pavement, wondering if my father would strangle him if he knocked at the front door.

A couple of hours later he worked up the courage to confront my father, which turned out to be something of an anti-climax because my father had no idea about Robert's part in the drama. Robert tiptoed into my room and handed me a sheet of paper; he had written a poem for me as he sat across the street from my house. I remember how thrilled I was that someone would do such a thing. It was like something out of a novel or a movie.

I kept that poem, which ran to one and a half legal pages, for a number of years, until it disappeared when we moved house a decade later. But I still remember the first four lines:

Her name is Marguerite
I very much like that girl
She means much more to me
Than any gem or pearl

That was a lifetime ago and yet those words remain in my memory.

As for the boy himself, by the time I got back to school Robert had moved on to greener pastures (he now liked my best friend's new best friend). But that hardly mattered as I was now a minor celebrity because I got hit by a bus while chasing a boy. The nuns had a field day praying for my soul, which was not the last time they'd engage in that futile exercise.

My right foot is still a little flatter than my left but it was worth it for the notoriety. And hey, Robert, wherever you are, thanks for the memory.

Using Other People's Love Poems

If you don't have Robert's literary talent, there is another option. Find an existing poem that best expresses how you feel and present it to your lover inside a greeting card or gift. Or have it framed and present it with a bouquet of flowers.

There are a number of sites online that offer love poems. To find out more, visit our site at http://www.romantic-gift-ideas-online.com.

Marguerite Bonneville

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Saturday, November 13, 2004

He Was Either The Most Romantic Man In The World - Or A Complete Idiot


Heather had been dating Ben for a little over two months. She quite enjoyed his company but was beginning to realize he was not the man for her. She wasn't so much physically attracted to him as she was entertained by his offbeat sense of humor and his sense of the ridiculous. They'd had some great times together but she was contemplating giving him the “let's just be friends” speech.

On the night of her twenty-eighth birthday, Ben told her he had something special in store for her. Heather felt a twinge of discomfort but told herself she was overreacting. Ben tended to over-dramatize ordinary events, which was part of what made him fun. They enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a beautiful restaurant, then returned to Ben's place so he could present her with his gift.

Heather was amused to discover that Ben had set up a treasure hunt in his apartment. In each of the rooms he'd planted objects containing small folded notes. On each note he's written an obscure message which would lead her to the next clue. Ben pointed out the location of the first clue, then left her to discover the rest.

Heather's anxiety began to mount as she reached the sixth clue. She found it in Ben's walk-in closet, just after she stumbled across three long dart blowers hidden behind his clothes. She'd already noticed the gun cases under the bed. At that moment Ben called out from the living room, “As soon as you find it, I'll shoot us!” Her imagination went into overdrive.

Two minutes later she found the box. It was large and beautifully wrapped. Inside it was a smaller box, and inside that one a third. When she opened the fourth box she saw the diamond ring. Heather was stunned.

By now Ben was beside her. He looked at her face and decided she was overcome with gratitude. “You don't have to say anything now,” he murmured. “Just nod if you want to marry me.”

Heather calculated her chances. Did he have any poison darts handy? Could she reach the front door before he opened a gun case? No, she decided. She'd have to tough it out.

“What on earth possessed you to buy this for me?” she blurted.

Ben hesitated but quickly recovered. “It doesn't have to be an engagement ring,” he backpedaled. “Just accept it as a birthday gift. You can always change your mind later.”

“But I can't accept something like this,” Heather explained. “I can't stand wearing jewelry.”

Ben was so caught up in his fantasy that he hadn't noticed the blatantly obvious. On both counts.

Heather was relieved to discover that the only shooting Ben intended that night was with his camera. But the celebratory mood was over and she left shortly afterwards, minus the ring. She didn't go out with Ben again.

Have you ever miscalculated with a gift? Perhaps not as blatantly as Ben did but there may have been times when you gave the wrong thing to the right person or the right thing to the wrong person. And then wondered why they didn't seem particularly grateful.

Gift giving involves thought and a certain amount of premeditation. If you don't know what to buy, ask. It doesn't have to be the person himself. It can be his father, mother, sister or best friend. Just make sure it's someone who really knows him and what he likes. You can't count on a person's honesty if he doesn't appreciate your gift. He may be attempting to spare your feelings.

The best thing about receiving a gift you love is the feeling that the other person knows you so well that they knew exactly what to choose.

Marguerite Bonneville
For more ideas on gift giving, visit
http://www.romantic-gift-ideas-online.com

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Welcome

Welcome to the Romantic Gift Ideas Online blog.

We'll be putting new romantic gift ideas on this blog as quickly as we discover them.

Visit our site today to see what we've researched so far:
www.romantic-gift-ideas-online.com

Armand, Margo, Garry and Ros
The Romantic Gift Ideas Online team

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