‘Love is a Whore’ comes (if you’ll excuse the pun) next in the Personification series after last week’s ‘Love is the Nurse’. From care to caress in just seven days. A series of poems should play like a symphony: light and shade, calm before a storm, “there should be sunshine after rain” (‘Why Worry’, Dire… Continue reading Personification 8: Love is a Whore

Having written a few sonnets for this collection that are, at least in part, somewhat critical of love, a more celebratory one seemed appropriate. So this sonnet celebrates nurturing love. And the person that best represents nurturing love is… the nurse. The nurturing nurse. If we’re lucky, during our lives of “seven ages”, we will… Continue reading Personification 7: Love is the Nurse

Although this sonnet forms one of my personification series, it is arguably zoomorphism – giving things animal, rather than human, qualities. In defence, the animal I use has the name and qualities of a famous fictional human… Benjamin Button. I therefore feel its inclusion is vindicated. The inspiration for this poem is that form of… Continue reading Personification 6: Love is a Benjy Button Butterfly

When writing a personification sonnet, I first think of a form of love I want to feature then I try to work out what type of person matches that form of love. For this sonnet I wanted to explore hidden love, love that is intentionally buried deep within us. A miner seemed a suitable human… Continue reading Personification 5: Love is a Miner

‘Love loves not those’ is dedicated to unrequited love. Love is personified in this sonnet as a character who is indifferent to the wants and needs of those who love or depend on it. We all have the right not to love someone back. But being aware of that fact doesn’t make it easier for… Continue reading Personification 4: Love loves not those

‘Love stands with Death’ explores the similar ways in which we respond to love and death. They both make us cry, both cause us to think deeply about others that are close to us, both thrive on human interaction. We fear the end of one and the arrival of the other. Both have the power… Continue reading Personification 3: Love stands with Death

Love isn’t always what it seems. Sometimes we imagine it is reciprocated… when it isn’t. Even worse, we can be deceived. We can believe someone loves us when their true agenda exploitative. In this sonnet I personify false love as the conjurer – the character that intends to mislead. (Loki if you likie.) Sonnets thrive… Continue reading Personification 2: Love is a Fool

Love is often depicted as childish, angelic or gentle. And sometimes all three. So, for my first ‘personification’ sonnet, I imagined love as a gigantic creature – one capable of grabbing Cupid in its fist and squeezing the arrows out of him. To emphasise the separation of Love as a beast from Cupid, I refer… Continue reading Personification 1: Love is a Beast