40 Poems on Love, Loss, Pain, and Heartbreak

1. When I have fears that I may cease to be

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love;—then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

2. Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

3. Funeral Blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

4. Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink

Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love cannot fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning on a bed,
I shall remember that one word alone,
And it will make me love the feel of lead
With which to break a window pane and run.
Yet is this not a reason why to care
How love may find me and with whom to share.

5. Because I could not stop for Death

Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For His Civility –

We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –

Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –

6. Do not stand at my grave and weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I did not die.

7. Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I see the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

8. I'm Nobody! Who are you?

I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd banish us – you know.

How dreary – to be – Somebody!
How public – like a Frog –
To tell one's name – the livelong June –
To an admiring Bog!

9. The Raven

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.

10. Mad Girl's Love Song

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return, and yet, instead,
My arms are empty and my heart's aflame.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

Who is this ghost I've made of my own bed?
That dog-faced spirit that I dance with when
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
I think I made you up inside my head.

11. First Light

A glance, a touch, a whispered word,
Love bloomed, a song the heart had heard.
Now silence echoes in its place,
A vacant smile, a vacant space.

12. Ephemeral

Like cherry blossoms, love unfurled,
A fragile beauty in the world.
But petals fall, the wind blows cold,
A memory, a story told.

13. Ghost Limb

Your hand in mine, a phantom touch,
I reach for you, but not so much
As to disturb the hollow ache,
The empty space I can't forsake.

14. Afternoon Sun

We built a life in golden light,
Now shadows lengthen, dim the sight.
The sun still shines, but feels so far,
A lonely glimmer, like a star.

15. The Promise

A promise whispered in the night,
A beacon burning ever bright.
But storms arose, the flame grew weak,
A shattered vow, I cannot speak.

16. Torn

Like paper ripped, my heart's in shreds,
A scattered mess upon my bed.
No tape can mend, no glue repair,
Just jagged edges everywhere.

17. The Lie

"Forever," you said, a whispered vow,
A hollow echo ringing now.
The sweetest lie, the cruelest sting,
A broken promise, everything.

18. Empty Chair

Your chair sits empty in the room,
A silent judgment, casting gloom.
A constant reminder of your flight,
Into the darkness, out of sight.

19. Shattered Mirror

I see my face, a broken thing,
Reflecting sorrow, pain, and sting.
The mirror cracks, the image bleeds,
A shattered soul, fulfilling needs
Of grief and letting go of you.

20. The Key

You hold the key to unlock my heart,
Now you're gone, and tore it apart.
Left me alone, empty inside,
No way to heal, no place to hide.

21. The Weight

Grief is a stone within my chest,
A heavy burden, putting me to the test.
I carry it with every breath,
A constant reminder of death.

22. Silent Rooms

The silence screams where laughter played,
A haunted house, a life betrayed.
Each room a memory, sharp and clear,
A constant whisper in my ear.

23. Unsent Letters

Letters I wrote, but never sent,
Words of love, now heaven-sent.
Piled high, a testament to pain,
A longing heart, calling your name.

24. The Photograph

A photograph, a frozen smile,
A captured moment, for a while.
I stare at it, wishing you near,
Washing the photo with a tear.

25. The Garden Weeds

The garden we tended, now overgrown,
With weeds of sorrow, seeds of stone.
The roses wilt, the colours fade,
A reflection of the life we made.

26. The Scar

A scar remains, a tender line,
A reminder of what was once mine.
It aches sometimes, a phantom sting,
A mark of love, no longer can sing.

27. The Storm Within

The storm rages inside my soul,
A tempest taking its toll.
The waves of grief crash over me,
Setting my spirit free.

28. Numbness

A numb embrace, a frozen heart,
A shield against the poisoned dart.
But feeling nothing is its own pain,
A hollow echo, again and again.

29. The Question

Why did you leave? The question burns,
A constant cycle, as my heart yearns.
No answer comes, no reason clear,
Just empty space, and constant fear.

30. The Mask

I wear a mask, to hide the pain,
A cheerful face, again, again.
But underneath, the tears still flow,
A silent sorrow, few will know.

31. Resilience

Though broken, bent, I will not break,
My spirit strong, for goodness sake.
I'll gather pieces, mend the cracks,
And find my way upon new tracks.

32. The Dawn

After the darkness, dawn will break,
A new beginning, for goodness sake.
A chance to heal, to start anew,
With hope reborn, fresh and true.

33. Letting Go

To release your ghost, is not to let it go.
It's to release yourself, from all you know.
To love and miss, but still move on,
Until a better future is drawn.

34. Seeds of Strength

Though winter's harsh, the earth sleeps deep,
And beneath the ice, new promises sleep.
The seeds of strength begin to sprout,
As inner voices start to shout.

35. The Path Forward

The path is long, and winding still,
But forward motion is my will.
Each step I take, a victory won,
Toward a brighter, healing sun.

36. Echoes of Love

Your voice still lingers, soft and low,
A gentle memory, all aglow.
Though you are gone, the love remains,
An echo whispering through the lanes.

37. Rebirth

Love died, was buried, set to rest,
But something stirs within my chest.
A new beginning, fresh and free,
A chance to love, a better me.

38. The Lesson

Love taught me pain, but also grace,
A deeper understanding of time and space.
I'll carry lessons learned with care,
And build a future, beyond despair.

39. New Horizons

I turn my face to new horizons wide,
Letting go of what's been laid aside.
With open heart, and hopeful eyes,
I welcome love in new guise.

40. The Gift of Self

From all the love, to all the pain,
I am all of this, through sun and rain.
So I give myself the love I need,
Planting the promise, of a life to feed.