The title pretty much says it all. Do you like it (moresoe then just any regular thoughtful gift) if a guy writes you a touching poem?
(PS the poll should say ‘in general’ and not ‘any’
The only time I can remember someone writing me a poem as a gift was when I was a teenager…and the writer was an older man in whom I had no romantic interest. So that was unfortunately more creepy than heartwarming.
As with any gift, I’d say the recipient’s response to a poem is going to vary a lot depending on how they feel about the giver as well as the quality/characteristics of the gift itself. A lousy poem, no matter how heartfelt, probably isn’t going to impress the recipient more than a gift that reflected similar thoughtfulness but better skill/taste. It would also be embarrassing for the recipient to feel obligated to say “Thank you, how sweet!” when she’s really thinking “Wow, I had no idea you were a Vogon.”
A good poem could potentially be a lot more touching than flowers or a nice scarf or whatever, although there’s still the possibility that the recipient isn’t really into poetry to begin with.
Those are actually three different questions.
The title asks if I like poetry. Yes, some, I enjoy a lot.
But then you ask if I’d like it if a guy writes me a poem as much as another thoughtful gift. I guess the answer is maybe, but not necessarily.
But you also have the question without the parenthetical statement: (more so than just any regular thoughtful gift). Would I like it if a guy writes me a touching poem, then I’m back to yes again.
So, there you go. Helpful? 
If a friend wrote something just for me and it was obvious they weren’t taking themselves too seriously and it was done in a humorous way, I would love it. Even if the rhymes were awful. If it was a deep emotional thing that I couldn’t make heads or tails out of, and it was presented to me in a serious way, then I’d probably be weirded out. I don’t know enough about poetry to distinguish “good” or “bad”. I’m afraid to say that if it doesn’t make feel good, I probably wouldn’t like it.
I’m not a fan of poetry, though.
Is your name Robert Frost? No? then your poem is not touching and heartfelt, it is lame and cheesy. I guarantee it. Also, if you know me, you know its not possible to write me a poem and for it to be a thoughtful gift. It’s a contradiction.
signed, “hates poetry in general, and heartfelt poetry in particular”
I like some poetry. No one has ever written a real poem for me, so unless the writer was really talented, I’d probably hate whatever it was. Even if you’re a master of rhythm and rhyme, that doesn’t make you a poet.
As a result, I didn’t vote, since there’s no clear answer to the question.
I love poetry. Poetry is a big deal in my life.
If someone wrote me a goofy bit of doggerel, it would make me laugh. If they made a serious effort at a serious poem and I liked the person, it would be a nice gift because it’s fun for me when people try to tackle poetry in a serious, thoughtful way, even when the results aren’t necessarily superb.
If it was someone I didn’t like, or the content just felt creepy/oversharing/too intimate, then I would be uncomfortable.
If someone thinks they can never read poetry, have no engagement with the art, and just dash off something and I will swoon over their poetic brilliance, well, that’s not likely. At all. I’d recommend against it.
Because I have a visceral aversion to doggerel, unlikely to appreciate it unless the guy is a bonafide poet. I’ve had this happen, once. A long time ago.
I believe the majority of women do not loathe doggerel and would be charmed by the intention.
As long as the guy isn’t an asshole, I appreciate anything… goofy, overly sentimental dreck, you name it. I may not understand it much, but it’s always fun giving it a shot. And yes, the poems I’ve been given over the years, of varying degrees of “good,” I’ve cherished. I think they’re all cool.
Y’know, this is really nicely said.
I change my answer to this one.
Yes, I think you and a lot of other answerers on here are helpful also, so thank you all for posting.
I also get the feeling that this board generally has a higher standard when it comes to poetry (not that that’s a bad thing)
My husband used to write me dirty limericks when we were first dating. I thought they were hilarious.
Like others in this thread, if he wrote me a poem of any sort, I would cherish it because of his intent, regardless of the actual quality of the poem.
Back in my single days, if a dude I wasn’t dating had given me a poem, I probably would have been weirded out.
Fuck no, get it away from me. I’d rather my boyfriend do the dishes for me. Flowers, cool. Chocolate, yay! Poetry, kill it with fire.
There’s only one poem in the world that I’ve encountered that I actually enjoy. It’s about killing people in a war, for reference.
So no, I would not like a gift poem.
I voted no, because there’s only a snowball’s chance in hell that the bloke is Robert Burns or an equivalent.
Some people are born to poetry. The rest had better go in for what comes easy.
I like it a lot. So does my GF. I have written poems for her, but only after we were already together, and I’m a decent poet - can’t say how good the poems I’ve written for my GF are, but they’re not hallmark cheese.
I wrote a poem for an ex once too, and she loved it. My other long-term GF, however, would have hated it if I’d written a poem for her.
It’s definitely not a good idea to write a poem for someone you’re not absolutely certain is already in love with you. Then it comes across as creepy. Humorous poems excepted.
Would it change any of your minds if they were all incredibly low effort haikus?
This is a haiku
About my love for you, girl
Five seven five… shit
No? Well… I’ll be off then because screw all of you. Terrible low-effort English-language haikus that spit in the face of their traditional characteristics are the best things ever invented.
That would fall under the category of humorous poems.
Roses are red, violets are blue
This poll is stupid
And sexist
I wish I liked poetry. But unless it’s making fun of itself (or is set to music, thereby becoming lyrics), I can barely stomach it. Reading it causes my eyes to glass over it. And when listening to it, sometimes I feel like picking up a chair and throwing it into a window.