by Heather Tomasello, Staff Writer

(Quotes taken from Love Sonnets of Shakespeare, a Running Press Miniature Edition:Singapore, 1990)

"I'm no Shakespeare!"

Your feelings for your sweetheart are indescribable. They transport you to some heavenly place. The word "love" doesn't do them justice. You want to express the depth of your emotions to your loved one in verse or a letter with the eloquence of the greatest poets. However, you haven't written a love poem since first grade when you learned "Roses are red, violets are blue..." and your sweetie just informed you that "love-emails" don't count. Well, Romeo/Juliet never feareth! (As they'd say in Shakespeare's day.) You can use several of the features of the Bard's great Love Sonnets to create your own written celebration of your beloved.

XVIII
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate...

This is one of the most oft-quoted lines of Shakespeare's sonnets. You can mimic this style by considering your significant other's characteristics.

For example: You may think, "My girlfriend is gentle."

Now think of something else that shares that quality, preferably a reference to nature. Complete the comparison by stating that your beloved is infinitely greater in that quality.

To complete the example: "You are more gentle than the calmly rolling blue sea."

Other examples and their comparisons: strong and brave, roaring lion; soft, newborn's smooth skin; radiant, sun's golden light, lovely, field full of wildflowers.