Rate:5.0 / 8 votes

She Loves Me Not

John W. May

Ballad
Pluck not the petals of the daisy
If hope for love would be your lot—
For many men have thus gone crazy
Whose daisy said “She loves me not”.

About this poem

A cautionary Valentine quatrain …

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Submitted by Vixility on February 13, 2025

9 sec read
224

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 148
Words 31
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 4
Full analysis for She Loves Me Not »

John W. May

John W. May has lived in Colorado all his life. He currently works in the field of ophthalmology and loves to mountain bike and read about history. John first became a lover of poetry in 2008 after having read a poem by John Milton. He has been reading and studying the works of various poets since. His favorite poets are Emily Dickinson, Fyodor Tyutchev and W. B. Yeats. more…

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15 Comments
  • karlcfolkes
    karlcfolkes
    Great amplification, yelkswah, of a ‘simple’ yet profoundly deep poem.
    LikeReply27 days ago
  • yelskwah
    yelskwah
    "She Loves Me Not" is a beautifully crafted and thought-provoking poem. You've used a simple childhood game as a springboard for a deeper exploration of the human experience, creating a work that is both insightful and memorable. 
    LikeReply 128 days ago
    • Vixility
      Vixility
      Incredibly kind words! Thank you for them. I was hoping to combine as many poetic devices in a single stanza that I could. I knew that the cadence of a tetrameter would be the best meter for this … the question was: what subject? 
      LikeReply28 days ago
  • jn.selvadurai
    jn.selvadurai
    Short and yet so powerful. Like Emily Dickinson. Wonderful!
    LikeReply 129 days ago
    • Vixility
      Vixility
      I have always envied (in a good way) the aesthetic power of Emily Dickinson’s poems, and marvel at their brevity and defiance of Standard English and punctuation. She is the truest and most authentic poet I have ever encountered. 
      LikeReply28 days ago
  • karlcfolkes
    karlcfolkes
    A gentleman’s game of fancy that is participated in by most forlorn young men from their early youth. Is there a similar version for a maidenly lassie?
    LikeReply 21 month ago
    • Vixility
      Vixility
      We humans are an exceedingly creative bunch—both male and female. I have no doubt that there are cultural equivalents expressed by maidens that mirror the same anxieties my poor stanza reflects.
      LikeReply28 days ago
  • Heyjude
    Heyjude
    I shall heed your warning good sir.
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • kimberlyd.87709
    kimberlyd.87709
    Very short and sweet,
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • mark.e.s
    mark.e.s
    listen to the audio :)
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • StylesRobin
    StylesRobin
    Cruel is fate, this means to me on one hand and for the other, praise the why for she was.
    LikeReply1 month ago
  • BellaTheMilkCarton
    BellaTheMilkCarton
    nice
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • Akinpet23
    Akinpet23
    Short and specific.
    Keep Inking.
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • Vixility
      Vixility
      “Keep inking” … I like that.
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • npirandy
    npirandy
    Ah yes! We've all been there.
    Short but true.
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • Vixility
      Vixility
      I certainly have!
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • mark.e.s
    mark.e.s
    And that's the name of that tune!
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • JokerGem
    JokerGem
    Hey John, your poem brought the Thoreau quote to my mind, “There is no remedy for love but to love more.”
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • Vixility
      Vixility
      It is of no surprise to me that you would have this in the arsenal of quotes you carry. Love it!
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • ThembieAngieeMt
    ThembieAngieeMt
    Witty and charming! The playful warning adds a touch of humor while capturing the vulnerability of love and fate. A delightful and memorable quatrain!
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • Vixility
      Vixility
      Wow! Thanks for the kindness and analysis. It was fun trying to figure out how to combine humor and fatalism.
      LikeReply 11 month ago
    • ThembieAngieeMt
      ThembieAngieeMt
      You're very welcome. I really enjoyed reading your piece,it was such a clever balance of humor and fatalism. You pulled it off wonderfully.
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • susan.brumel
    susan.brumel
    Perfection, my friend! I have plucked the disappointing petals myself.
    Happy Valentine’s Day. :^p
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • Vixility
      Vixility
      I thought I would try my hand at a little bit of an aphorism sprinkled with humor.
      LikeReply 11 month ago
    • susan.brumel
      susan.brumel
      Success!! :-)
      LikeReply1 month ago

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"She Loves Me Not" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 16 Mar. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/213348/she-loves-me-not>.

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