6 Poems that Embody Classic, Old Hollywood Love Stories

By

Love is defined by Hollywood. Our expectations, our daydreams and our wishes are outlined on the silver screen as we grow up, wide-eyed watching the hero get the girl and true love conquering all. The following six poems examine how Hollywood’s idea of romance filters into ours and becomes so intertwined you wouldn’t know where one begins and the other ends.

The Beginning

You come over slyly
And say sweet words shyly
And tell me I’m pretty
With that look in your eyes

Oblivious me
But I’ve seen this on TV
And I read the subtle hints
That shine through your smile

Movie Star Dreams

If we met that movie star
The one we all loved when we were fifteen
We’d stop and ask him
How does it feel to be the man
Who give little girls unattainable dreams

The Bit in Between

Glamor and glitter
As we go out on dates
Reality betrays us
As we invade each others space
Hopelessly hopeful
I loved you from the start
Romanticizing the end
And holding on to our past
It’s the bit in between
That broke both our hearts

Missing You

The romance
Of missing you
Sustains me
When I no longer have
Your bittersweet company

While you moved on
Without
So much
As batting
Those pretty brown eyes

Still I think of you fondly
Through memories that haunt me
As if you were the one
I was meant to be with

The irony is
I stand still here lonely
Knowing full well
What time will soon tell

Neither of us believes
In the artless fate of destiny
Yet here I wait
Silently wishing you well

The Revival

Every iconic love story
Is about going backwards
Holding on to the past
Not letting go
And hoping love lasts

Revivalist culture is causing us to regress
So what are we to do
When you and I are an unraveling mess
But love each other anyhow
It’s time to cut our losses and bow out

But I can’t help myself
I run back to you each time
My heart’s stuck in the past
Lost in the memory of us
Kept company by my insane mind

Love

Red lipstick and my fancy black dress
Your designer suit, I could never resist
Expensive dinner dates at the hottest spots
Fancy rides, jewelry gifts and champagne pours
Dream lives can be lived but is it what you want?

Netflix, wine and pizza
And you in your A&F sweats
Us up all night talking about nothing in jest
My favorite place in the world to be
Hollywood dreams on TV, but the reality of you and me