Cautious of Love Poetry (poem)

I'm cautious of love poetry now,

both my own and other's,

watching for signs of obsession,

confessions of idealization.

If the beloved is “perfect”,

they might just be a fabrication

of a poet's romantic mind

plagued by its own imagination.

If it's focused on the beloved's beauty,

how divine or angelic they are,

then they're more a moving statue

than a person in the poet's mind.

But if the poet blames their beloved

for enticing them with their beauty

like a temptress Eve,

then certainly the poet is to blame.

After all, perfection is impossible,

beauty is meaningless,

and no one is responsible

for your feelings but yourself.

-Zero