Crush: Love Poems by Kwame Alexander

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, many students have been looking for love poems to read and to share with their sweethearts. Alexander’s collection of love poems is a quick read with a little something for everyone. A few poems are about longing, a few are about heartbreak, and some are about mutual love. One of my favorites is “Awkward Poems,” a poem about having a crush on a friend: “Sometimes I wish we weren’t friends / then I could gaze into your bold eyes / and find answers to questions I’m afraid to ask.” A nice feature at the end of the book is the inclusion of poems by five poets Alexander admires, confirming that poetry is meant to be shared. Looking for more love poetry to recommend to students? See our earlier review of Love Poems by Pablo Neruda or ask us to show you more in the poetry section of our libraries.

Alexander, Kwame. Crush: Love Poems. Alexandria, VA: Word of Mouth Books, 2007.