15+ Significant Poems about Making Love

(15 to start, 40+ to explore)

These intimate poems celebrate the act of lovemaking as a profound expression of passion and connection. They sensually depict sexuality, the tenderness of emotional intimacy, and the vulnerability of baring one’s soul to another.

Poets use interesting imagery, metaphor, and rhythm to convey the intensity of desire and the intertwining of two souls in the heat of passion. These verses explore the pleasures of the body and the depths of emotional intimacy, immersing readers in the intoxicating world of love and desire.

Poems about Making Love Visual Representation

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"> 90/100

Meeting at Night

by Robert Browning

In Robert Browning’s ‘Meeting at Night,’ the speaker sails across the sea to secretly reunite with his beloved under the moon’s soft glow.

The poem's journey can be interpreted as a sexual encounter, as if two lovers are making love passionately. The yellow half-moon, water, and beach imagery create a romantic backdrop, setting the stage for their union. Phrases like 'quench its speed in the slushy sand' hint at the speaker's moves as he speeds into the 'wet sand' (likely the beloved). While the 'blue spurt of a lighted match' suggests the climax of sexual pleasure. Finally, the lovers' embrace and silence in the aftermath of their intimate union signifies the culmination of their lovemaking.

The gray sea and the long black land;

And the yellow half-moon large and low:

And the startled little waves that leap

In fiery ringlets from their sleep,

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"> 85/100

Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Tennyson’s ‘Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal’ illustrates lovers’ union and the speaker’s desire through intricate nature imagery at twilight.

Tennyson masterfully conceals the lovers' making love beneath meticulous imagery—the imagery of the firefly awakening hints at sparks of desire igniting in the quiet night. The peacock-like glimmering of the beloved on the speaker suggests his seduction. The reference to earth lying 'all Danaë to the stars' suggests the beloved's surrender to the physical union like Danae accepted Zeus in the form of golden rain. Sliding of the silent meteor suggests lovemaking as the speaker invites the beloved for the final intimate embrace in the erotic lines, 'So fold thyself, my dearest, thou, and slip / Into my bosom and be lost in me.'

Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white;

Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk;

Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font.

The firefly wakens; waken thou with me.

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"> 83/100

The Willing Mistress

by Aphra Behn

‘The Willing Mistress’ by Aphra Behn is an erotic poem wherein the speaker recounts her intimate moments with her lover in a grove.

This poem narrates the speaker's and Amyntas' lovemaking sequence, tracing its gradual progression from slow physical intimacy or foreplay to ultimate sexual culmination. It paints a sensual setting of a grove where trees shade the sunlight, and a gentle breeze evokes senses, complementing sensuality. The soft, gentle kisses, charming eyes, and 'A Thousand Amorous Tricks' depict the tenderness and playfulness of lovemaking, while her being 'fired,' him clasping her around, and lying on the ground convey the intense carnal passion leading to sexual union. The speaker's seduction, yielding, arousal, and final willingness indicate the pleasure and vulnerability of lovemaking.

Amyntas led me to a Grove,

Where all the Trees did shade us;

The Sun it self, though it had Strove,

It could not have betray’d us:

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"> 71/100

Landmark

by Owen Sheers

‘Landmark’ by Sheers captures an intimate encounter’s imprint on nature, blending passion with the landscape for a lasting memory.

This poem centers on a couple’s private moment of physical closeness, showing how intimate connection can feel outside of time. The act is described not just as something physical, but something emotional and meaningful. Their bodies leave a mark on the land, suggesting that what happened was powerful enough to change both the people and the space. The poem focuses on the weight of that shared moment and the way it stays with them.

Afterwards they were timeless

and they lay that way for a while before standing

and dressing, reclaiming their clothes

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"> 68/100

A Woman Waits for Me

by Walt Whitman

Formerly known as ‘Poem of Procreation,’ Whitman’s ‘A Woman Waits for Me’ is all about the power of regeneration, procreation, and creativity.

Making love is a central topic in the poem. Whitman sees it as a natural and essential part of life. He believes it is a powerful expression of love and connection between a man and a woman. Making love is both physical and emotional, bringing partners closer together. Whitman celebrates it as a way to create new life and strengthen relationships.

I draw you close to me, you women,

I cannot let you go, I would do you good,

I am for you, and you are for me, not only for our own sake, but for others' sakes,

Envelop'd in you sleep greater heroes and bards,

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Sonnet 142

by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 142, ‘Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate,’ explores the dynamics of desire and morality in the speaker’s relationship.

'Sonnet 142' presents a dark side of lovemaking or sexual passion when an intense sexual desire solely drives the individual, leading to immoral transgressions and false promises. Moreover, such a type of lovemaking, which is desolate of any sincere emotions, is described as 'sinful loving' in the sonnet.

Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate,

Hate of my sin, grounded on sinful loving:

O! but with mine compare thou thine own state,

And thou shalt find it merits not reproving;

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Like A Flower In The Rain

by Charles Bukowski

Bukowski’s ‘Like A Flower In The Rain’ is a clear-cut poem describing the odd lovemaking of a couple. Bukowski does not shy away from noting their raw conversation in the text.

Making love is discussed as a personal and intimate experience between partners. The poem reflects on both the emotional and physical aspects of making love. It emphasizes how this act of connection and affection is important for deepening relationships and building a strong bond between people.

I cut the middle fingernail of the middle

finger

right hand

real short

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"> 61/100

To His Coy Mistress

by Andrew Marvell

‘To His Coy Mistress’ urges seizing love now, using witty metaphors to highlight the fleeting nature of time and beauty.

The speaker spends much of the poem trying to persuade his lover to be physically close with him. He talks about passion, beauty, and missed chances, and he tries to turn all these into reasons to act now. The poem does not hide its focus on physical connection. Instead, it treats it as something natural and important, especially when time is short. This topic is tied to urgency, youth, and the idea of living in the present.

Had we but world enough, and time,

This coyness, Lady, were no crime

We would sit down and think which way

To walk and pass our long love's day.

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Sonnet 151

by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 151, ‘Love is too young to know what conscience is,’ navigates the complexities of love and lust in the speaker’s relationship.

The sonnet bears an overtly sexual tone as the speaker expresses his sexual temptation toward his beloved and her sexual relationships with other men. It engages with the topic of making love as the speaker details the uncontrollable sexual arousal of his body because of his beloved stating, 'Her 'love' for whose dear love I rise and fall.'

Love is too young to know what conscience is,

Yet who knows not conscience is born of love?

Then, gentle cheater, urge not my amiss,

Lest guilty of my faults thy sweet self prove:

#10

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"> 59/100

Remembrance

by Maya Angelou

‘Remembrance’ by Maya Angelou explores themes of intimacy, love, and longing. It’s a beautiful poem that, briefly but memorably, describes a sexual interaction between lovers.

While the poem never uses this exact phrase, it is clear that the speaker is describing a moment of intimacy. The language is sensual and focused on connection, both physical and emotional. From the way the partner leans over her to the warmth that lingers after, the act is central to the poem. It is not just about the body, though. It is about closeness, trust, and emotional release, all wrapped in the memory of touch.

Your hands easy

weight, teasing the bees

hived in my hair, your smile at the

slope of my cheek. On the

#11

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Women and Roses

by Robert Browning

‘Women and Roses’ by Robert Browning conveys a man’s perspective on women throughout time. They are represented by three apples on his metaphorical apple tree.

The poem uses imagery and language that suggest a desire for intimate connection. The speaker's longing for closeness and physical connection is evident throughout the verses. This theme adds a layer of sensuality and passion to the speaker's reflections. The poem explores the intersection of beauty, desire, and intimacy.

I dream of a red-rose tree.

And which of its roses three

Is the dearest rose to me?

#12

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After Making Love We Hear Footsteps

by Galway Kinnell

Galway Kinnell’s ‘After Making Love We Hear Footsteps’ is a beautiful poem about parenthood and love. This piece presents a familiar scene that often occurs in a married couple’s life.

For I can snore like a bullhorn

or play loud music

or sit up talking with any reasonably sober Irishman

#13

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Answer

by Carol Ann Duffy

‘Answer’ uses earth, water, fire, air to symbolize love’s trials, affirming unwavering devotion with a resolute “yes, yes” to unity.

If you were made of stone,

your kiss a fossil sealed up in your lips,

your eyes a sightless marble to my touch,

your grey hands pooling raindrops for the birds,

#14

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Break of Day

by John Donne

‘Break of Day’ by John Donne is an aubade told from a female perspective. It conveys a woman’s understanding of her relationship with a busy lover.

‘Tis true, ‘tis day, what though it be?

O wilt thou therefore rise from me?

Why should we rise because ‘tis light?

Did we lie down because ‘twas night?

#15

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Confessions

by Robert Browning

Robert Browning’s ‘Confessions’ is written in the confessional mode and is about the speaker’s romantic and secretive meetings with a girl.

What is he buzzing in my ears?

"Now that I come to die,

Do I view the world as a vale of tears?"

Ah, reverend sir, not I!

Home » Collection » Poems about Making Love

15+ Significant Poems about Making Love

(15 to start, 40+ to explore)

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15+ Significant Poems about Making Love

(15 to start, 40+ to explore)

by Robert Browning

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

by Aphra Behn

by Owen Sheers

by Walt Whitman

by William Shakespeare

by Charles Bukowski

by Andrew Marvell

by William Shakespeare

by Maya Angelou

by Robert Browning

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