Love Poem
John Frederick Nims
Class Unit
Love Poem
1
My clumsiest dear, whose hands shipwreck vases,
2
At whose quick touch all glasses chip and ring,
3
Whose palms are bulls in china, burs in linen,
4
And have no cunning with any soft thing
5
Except all ill-at-ease fidgeting people:
6
The refugee uncertain at the door
7
You make at home; deftly you steady
8
The drunk clambering on his undulant floor.
9
Unpredictable dear, the taxi drivers’ terror,
10
Shrinking from far headlights pale as a dime
11
Yet leaping before apopletic streetcars –
12
Misfit in any space. And never on time.
13
A wrench in clocks and the solar system. Only
14
With words and people and love you move at ease;
15
In traffic of wit expertly manoeuvre
16
And keep us, all devotion, at your knees.
17
Forgetting your coffee spreading on our flannel,
18
Your lipstick grinning on our coat,
19
So gaily in love’s unbreakable heaven
20
Our souls on glory of spilt bourbon float.
21
Be with me, darling, early and late. Smash – glasses –
22
will study wry music for your sake.
23
For should your hands drop white and empty
24
All the toys of the world would break.
John Frederick Nims
Before Reading.
Think of someone you have fancied / loved.
Around the spider diagram below, brain storm a list of things (aspects of
personality / looks) that you really liked about your mystery person! Try and
make these unconventional, e.g. things that others would not necessarily find
attractive about them.
Aspects I liked
about my
'Mystery Person ...'
Love Poem – Study Notes
Background Information
Traditional love poetry renders the beloved as an ideal of perfection, placing the beloved on
a pedestal (e.g. traditional sonnets). Love poems are normally full of romantic notions that
exalt and idealise the poet’s beloved … but not this one.
This poem however, is unconventional in that it contradicts this tradition by describing a
love that transcends (overcomes) human faults. Nims takes a very realistic view of her and
describes her clumsiness in great detail. Nims celebrates both the positive and negative
aspects of his partner and explores the idea that true love is not built upon the belief that
she is the perfect woman.
This is the most romantic poem ever imagined! Here is a Truely Loved Woman. He does not
just love her “eyes of deepest blue” or “alabaster breasts”, he loves HER! He doesn’t care
that she is lacking in the social graces, clumsy, or that she’s such a bad driver. Those things
endear her to him. He loves her for her caring nature to others, her empathetic, loving,
gentle soul.
The poem is written to, and about, a woman who possesses this kind of love, and the speaker
is a man thinking about the adoration that he feels for his beloved.
The Title
Traditional love poem title. The poem however, contradicts what we expect from the title.
Theme
1. Love transcends human faults.


the poet initially highlights her clumsy nature
however, he contrasts this with more positive character traits she possesses
and concludes by stating that without her there would be no joy left for him in
the world.
2. A celebration of the poet’s love.
Narrative Stance
Addresses the beloved directly “My clumsiest dear.”
Stanza 1 - The Opening
(Exam Tip – sometimes you get questions about poems with an effective opening)
The poem begins with an unconventional address:
“My clumsiest dear”
possessive
not very complimentary
term of endearment
The poet then offers images (imagery - metaphor) of a clumsy and destructive woman:

“whose hands shipwreck vases”
(suggests her hands are as destructive as storms are to ships)

“whose palms are bulls in china”
(suggests she is not only destructive but almost out of place. The poet continues to
tease his lover about her physical ineptitude by using a second metaphor. He compares
her hand to bulls in china. Normally the saying is bulls in a china shop but Nims ups the
ante and changes this to bulls in China itself. Again, he is attempting to convey the
power of his beloved by giving her global significance.

'burs in linen.'
The reference to “burs in linen” Is a reference to the snags and creases you
sometimes find in sheets of linen. Nims is conveying his lover’s ineptitude in domestic
matters.)
Word choice of “clumsiest”; “all” “no” and “any” further emphasise her clumsiness.
Lines 2 – 4 are an example of hyperbole, the woman's hands are personified as if they move of
their own volition. The continuance of this theme through the striking image of "shipwreck
vases" suggests a force spun out of control, as if her hands were chaotically destructive, as
storms are to ships. This image is again reinforced by the idea of wild bulls breaking glass in
china shops. In the china shop, her hands are powerful but out of place.
This is an unconventional opening that grabs the reader’s attention. Straight away the reader
notices that this is no typical love poem as the poet is critical of his beloved while
remaining affectionate.
Why is it an effective opening?
 It is unconventional and the first stanza almost seems to contradict
the title of the poem and what we expect from love poetry
 It introduces the character of his beloved
Stanza 2
Here the poet makes very effective use of contrast. The stanza begins with enjambment.
This smoothly slides into a change of direction of the poet’s thought.
Contrast
Stanza 1 focuses on her physical clumsiness, suggesting she is at odds with the
world around her.
Stanza 2 emphasises the ‘people skills’ she possesses and her calming influence
on others.
Whilst his beloved may lack physical graces, she more than makes up for this with her social
graces: she mends, rather than breaks, where people are concerned.


“The refugee uncertain at the door / You make at home”
“deftly you steady / The drunk clambering on his undulant floor.”
It is clear in this stanza that her benevolent nature transcends time and place. This stanza
highlights the contrast between the woman's ineptness to her external environment and her
internal grace. She gives solace to others in need:

“refugee uncertain at the door.” This is a very effective way of conveying how good
his love is at making uneasy people feel at home. A refugee is someone who has had to
flee their own home because of danger. This is a great way of showing the kindness of
his partner.

providing stability to the wavering of the drunk's "undulant floor" (line 8). This act of
kindness is done "deftly" (line 7), with skill and grace that directly oppose her
clumsiness with inanimate objects.
Thus, we now are aware that this is a love poem, it is just different from the norm.
Word Choice
“Deftly” – provides a contrast with her clumsiness.
Stanza 3
Here, the poet once more focuses on his beloved’s awkwardness (and poor driving!)



“the taxi drivers’ terror”
“leaping before apoplectic streetcars” (note use of hyperbole and imagery)
“Misfit in any space. And never on time.”
Striking contrasts of imagery continue to portray the speaker's affection for his
"Unpredictable dear" (line 9), whose "traffic of wit" can "expertly manoeuvre" (line 15) itself,
whilst her driving skills are presented through the hyperbole of "red apoplectic streetcars"
(line 11). Here the personified images of vehicles behaving both angry and terrified in her
presence blatantly juxtapose her composure and cleverness when it comes to dealing with
human beings and their emotions.
Nims returns to his original train of thought from stanza one; that his beloved is clumsy and
describes her dodgy driving skills using excellent word choice. He uses alliteration in taxi
drivers’ terror to emphasize the chaos she causes on the road.
The poet appears amused by her inconsistency when driving. This can be seen through the
contrast he makes between her ‘shrinking’ from traffic one minute and then ‘leaping’the
next. “Apoplectic” –personification – the driver AND tram are furious at her recklessness –we
can see the funny side of her contradictory character, but also share the fury of other
drivers. The word choice of ‘apopletic’ similarly contributes to the light-hearted tone as we
can both empathise with and ridicule the enraged streetcar drivers.
He completes the stanza with the idea that not only is she physically in the wrong place on
occasion, she is frequently there at the wrong time.
However, the tone remains light-hearted and is almost teasing.
Whilst he is pointing out her ‘flaws’ as such, he is doing it an affectionate way.
Word Choice
“Misfit” – suggests she is out of place
“shrinking, leaping and apoplectic” conveys vividly the scenario in a
humorous manner. Nims is using hyperbole for comic effect.
Stanza 4
This stanza addresses both his beloved’s faults and skills.
The first line of the stanza is actually fairly ambiguous (can be read in different ways).

“A wrench in clocks and the solar system.”
This metaphor suggests that her physical presence is almost jarring and stops
and breaks things.
 However, the reference to “the solar system” suggests that she also has the
power to bring his world to a standstill, thus his life revolves around her. Nims
use of hyperbole rises to astronomical levels. He refers to his beloved as
someone who can cause chaos in the fabric of the universe itself. The sheer
exaggeration of the statement creates a light-hearted and humorous effect and
is a fitting climax to the line of thought of the poet.
 The woman's ineptness (link back to stanza one) is further described as "A
wrench in clocks and the solar system" (line 13), making her clumsiness seem
timeless and eternal.

Once more her social skills are emphasised:


“With words and people and love you move at ease”
“In traffic of wit, expertly manoeuvre” (note the direct contrast to stanza 3.
Also, a metaphor.)
Nims uses contrast to convey the way in which his lover moves adeptly in social interactions.
This is compared as to how inept she is at moving in the physical world. The metaphor of
driving is continued in traffic of wit. This is very effective as it makes the comparison very
clear in a light hearted and humorous style. His beloved moves with skill in the world of
relationships even if she is a walking disaster in the real world.
Again, the speaker’s depth of emotion is made clear:

Contrast
“And keep us all devotion at your knees” (not only does he worship her, the
word “us” suggests she has many admirers)
Stanza 3 gently mocks her lack of driving skills.
Stanza 4 praises her social skills in contrast to this.
Stanza 5
The poet reverts to teasing her clumsiness:


“your coffee spreading on our flannel”
“Your lipstick grinning on our coat” (personification.)
Following this, the poet employs a more conventional image of love poetry when he states:

“in love’s unbreakable heaven” (their love will be eternal)
However, he immediately subverts this traditional image with the humorous comment that:

Word Choice
Our souls on glory of spilt bourbon float”
“unbreakable heaven”
“spilt bourbon” – here, the poet adds humour to a more conventional
image found in traditional love poetry, “our souls…” emphasising that he
wants to spend the rest of his life with her and her clumsy nature.
The poet crosses into the language of high romance in this stanza. He envisages their lives
together using beautiful word choice. Unbreakable heaven conveys how the poet believes
in the immortality of their relationship. The religious metaphor is continued with
souls on glory of spilt bourbon float. This gives the reader a wonderful image linking his
beloved’s clumsiness, spilt bourbon, to their happiness. The poet is clearly blissfully
happy with his partner and loves her and her faults.
Reinforcing the idea that the beloved is adored in spite of her faults, this stanza points out
that love has its own "unbreakable heaven" (line 19). Here such mundane concerns as "coffee
spreading" and "spilt bourbon" (lines 17 and 20) are of no consequence. In fact, because the
spills are associated with her, they become almost spiritual in nature, as the word "heaven"
emphasizes. In heaven, for all eternity, nothing breaks at her touch. As a result, her warm
nature seems more admirable than any social graces would.
Stanza 6 – The Conclusion
(Exam Tip – sometimes you get asked about a poem with an effective end/conclusion)
Here, the poet makes a genuine and heartfelt declaration of love.
 “Be with me darling, early and late – smash - glasses”
(note use of imperative / command)
 “early and late” (metaphor for life?)
Here, Nims directly addresses his beloved urging her to stay with him
throughout the day. Nims uses onomatopoeia again to evoke the woman’s clumsiness
in “smash-glasses-.” However, this seems to be something that he holds dear to himself
about her. For all he cares, she could smash every glass in the world.
The last two lines (the final couplet) is particularly poignant (touching):

“For should your hands drop white and empty
All the toys of the world would break.”
Thus, were she to die, there would be no joy left in the world.
“toys of the world” = metaphor for joy/happiness
ie. all those who know her would be as lost and broken-spirited as children whose toys are
broken.
The poem ends on a strange note for a love poem with a sobering image of death. Nim
uses a literary technique called metonymy to evoke an image of his beloved dying. A
metonym is when part of a thing stands for the whole thing, in this case, his lover’s
hands stand for her and the image of them dropping white represents her death poignantly.
Nims also uses a metaphor to convey how dear his wife is to him. The image Toys of the
world represent everything else in the world, which are but insignificant toys
compared to his beloved. It is only she that he really cares about and if he loses her
then nothing else matters at all. It is a beautiful end to a beautiful love poem.
Even though the beloved lacks skill with delicate inanimate objects like glasses and vases,
which "chip and ring" (line 2) at her slightest touch, she has a tranquil effect on people
around her. In fact, she mends rather than breaks where people are concerned. "Fidgeting
people" and "The drunk clambering on his undulant floor" (lines 5 and 8) find solace and
stability in her manner. As the speaker says, "For should your hands drop white and empty/All
the toys of the world would break" (lines 23-24). In other words, the same hands that are
dangerous at the beginning of the poem ultimately act to disguise an extraordinarily gentle
soul beneath the clumsy surface. The phrase "toys of the world" is a metaphor for the fragility
of people's minds and hearts; if the beloved were absent, all who know her and depend on
her kind heart would surely be as lost and broken-spirited as children whose toys are broken.
Note, the change in tone is evident here (the poem has been light-hearted/teasing and is
now very serious indeed.) Throughout most of the poem the tone is generally light-hearted
and sometimes even humorous. However, the last two lines of the poem convey a marked
change in tone. Here, the poet considers what would happen in the event of her death, were
this to happen there would be no joy left for him in the world. Thus, he adopts a more
serious tone.
This change of tone emphasises the full extent of his love for her, and is in keeping with a
traditional love sonnet where the final couplet is used to reveal the poet’s love.
Why is the end effective?

The change of tone emphasises the full extent of his love for her, and is in
keeping with a traditional love sonnet where the final couplet is used to reveal
the poet’s love.

The poem concludes with a truly touching declaration of love and is more
convincing than an over-exaggerated typical love poem.

John Frederick Nims' "Love Poem" exposes a woman for who she really is. Nims
portrays her as reckless, destructive and downright inept. He moves on in the
poem describing her inner-soul, her intrinsic good will towards those in need.
Through the juxtaposition of these two types of images -- the awkward and the
adept - Nims's beloved is reborn. By the final stanza we too see her true beauty
and grace. And, most importantly, we come to understand this poem for what it
is...a true love poem.

Love Poem" emphasizes the gentle, caring nature of a woman who on the
surface seems destructive. Through images of the tenderness and care of her
manner, plus the affection and adoration felt by all who know her, the poem
suggests that nurturing human beings is more important than being careful about
objects. Finally, "Love Poem" suggests that surface impressions can be deceiving
and that apparent misfits may have an integral place in the order of life.
ESSAY PLAN FOR “LOVE POEM” by J.F.Nims.
Task:
Choose a poem which is light-hearted or playful or not entirely serious.
Show how the poet makes you aware of this tone and discuss how
effective this tone is in dealing with the subject matter of the poem.
In your answer you must deal with at least TWO of : tone, imagery,
theme, sound or any other appropriate feature.
Introduction: T. A. R. T
Title:
Author:
Response to question:
Techniques:
Synopsis:
Love poem
John Frederick Nims
Light-hearted tone is used
Contrast and imagery.
B. O.
“Love Poem” does not follow the traditional attitude to the loved one found in most love poetry, as the
persona celebrates both the positive and negative aspects of his beloved’s character. This emphasises the
fact that true love is not based upon the idea of the beloved being a perfect woman. In the main, the poet
uses a light-hearted tone to show us both sides of his beloved’s character, yet in the final two lines of the
poem a much more serious tone is introduced to reveal the true extent of his love.
Main Body: P. C. Q. E
PARAGRAPH ONE:
Point:
Nims begins the poem by emphasising the inherent clumsiness of his beloved through
effective imagery.
Context:
Describe in your own words her actions in the first stanza.
Quotation:
There is very effective imagery used here – think about the “hands shipwreck vases” and
“palms bulls in china.”
Analysis:
This requires you to analyse the effectiveness of these two pieces of imagery. For
example, you may suggest that the striking image of “shipwreck vases”suggests a force
spun out of control, as if her hands were chaotically disruptive, as storms would be to
ships. This image is reinforced by the almost stereotyped image of bulls rampaging
in china shops – completely out of place, yet emphasising the idea of how powerful and
clumsy – very unfeminine – her hands are.
In these descriptions the poet is describing her as being at odds with things in the physical
world around her and succeeds in creating a refreshingly honest description of his
beloved.
(You may also in this verse want to refer to the effective word choice of “clumsiest”; “all”
“no” and “any” to further emphasise her clumsiness.)
PARAGRAPH TWO:
Point:
Conversely, he contrasts this aspect of her personality with her more favourable
character traits in stanza two. In the second stanza the persona contrasts this clumsiness
with objects to her skills in dealing with people.
Context:
Summarise actions of lover in verse 2.
Quotation:
“all ill –at-ease fidgeting people:”
“Refugee uncertain at the door”
“drunk climbing on his undulant floor”
Analysis:
Tone more tender – praises her social skills –natural grace with people, especially
“outsiders”. It is those who are almost outsiders in our society, for example, “the refugee”,
who she brings comfort to and to whom she provides a welcome for, emphasising that she
mends rather than breaks people.
Explain with reference to the quotation. Remember to explain idea of “undulant” floor.
PARAGRAPH THREE:
Point.
Nims’ use of contrast is again evident in stanzas three and four. In stanza three he lightheartedly mocks her (lack of) driving skills: another stereotype!
Context:
She one minute seems afraid to venture into traffic, the next minute “leaping” in front of
enraged street-car drivers.
Quotation:
“….the taxi drivers’ terror,
Shrinking from far headlights pale as a dime
Yet leaping before apoplectic streetcars”
Analysis: The poet appears amused by her inconsistency when driving. This can be seen through the
contrast he makes between her ‘shrinking’ from traffic one minute and then ‘leaping’the next.
“Apoplectic” –personification – the driver AND tram are furious at her recklessness –we can see
the funny side of her contradictory character, but also share the fury of other drivers. The word
choice of ‘apopletic’ similarly contributes to the light-hearted tone as we can both empathise with
and ridicule the enraged streetcar drivers.
He completes the stanza with the idea that not only is she physically in the wrong place on
occasion, she is frequently there at the wrong time.
“Misfit in any space. And never on time:
A wrench in clocks and the solar system.”
(comment on “wrench” ( two meanings) and “solar system” (humorous exaggeration.)
PARAGRAPH FOUR:
Point.
This leads nicely into the fourth stanza by placing the word “only” at the end of the line.
The use of enjambement here leads seamlessly into the poet once again praising his
beloved’s social skills.
Context.
This is a repetition of the ideas of stanza two – her people skills.
Quotation:
“With words and people you move at ease;
In traffic of wit expertly manoeuvre”.
Analysis:
Continuing with the driving metaphor we can once more see a marked change in tone.
Comment on repetition of “and”; “move at ease”( contrast again with stanza one); “traffic
of wit” (pun) ; “expertly” (contrast.) ‘Ease’ and ‘expertly’ both highlight the poet’s
admiration of his beloved’s people skills creating a tone of admiration and approval.;“and
keep us, all devotion, at your knees”.
The poet’s admiration and approval is apparent – explain.
The use of contrast serves us to remind us that she is a human being, with all her
faults. Nims’ use of contrast helps to create a more convincing and believable declaration
of love, one which praises all aspects of his beloved’s character, even her faults.
PARAGRAPH FIVE:
Point.
The light-hearted tone is once again illustrated towards the end of the poem as the
poet envisages their future life together.
Context:
In spite of her clumsiness in ruining his clothes ( coffee and lipstick) in contrast, their lives
together will be “unbreakable”.
Quotation:
“So gaily in love’s unbreakable heaven
Our souls on glory of spilt bourbon float”.
Analysis:
Here, the poet utilises more stereotypical love imagery by referring to ‘heaven’ and their
‘souls’ floating together. However, he adds humour to these descriptions by referring to
‘spilt bourbon’, once again drawing attention to her physical clumsiness. Thus, once more,
he has succeeded in creating a light-hearted tone whilst simultaneously reinforcing the
love he has for her.
PARAGRAPH SIX:
Point.
In the last two lines the tone changes entirely as the poet reveals his true depth of feeling
for his beloved; he makes a serious declaration of his love.
Context:
No matter how clumsy she is – “smash glasses”- he reveals that if she were to die and
leave him, life would no longer be worth living.
Quotation:
“For should your hands drop white and empty
All the toys of the world would break.”
Analysis:
In contrast to her hands destroying objects – “shipwrecking vases” – in death her hands
would be rendered useless – “white and empty”. Here, the poet implies that if she were to
die, ‘white and empty’, there would be no joy left in the world for him. The reference to
“toys” – pleasurable things – “would break”, presumably of their own accord, now that the
beloved was no longer in the world. The use of the ‘toys’ metaphor helps to convey the
utter tragedy of such an event.
The change of tone from light-hearted to serious, is particularly effective as whilst
we can laugh at his more light-hearted descriptions of her character, here we truly see the
depth of emotion he has for her.
Moreover, it would appear the poet has finally conformed to the expectations of
the genre – by declaring his love in the last two lines he is adopting the same form as the
more traditional sonnet, reiterating to the reader that he truly adores her.
Conclusion.
T. A R. T + PERSONAL RESPONSE
In conclusion, Nims has succeeded in using a light-hearted tone to create an initially unconventional, yet
ultimately inspiring, love poem.
Poetry has been used for centuries as a means of expressing love and Nims’ unusual style has succeeded
in creating a realistic and believable piece of poetry.
Essay Questions for Group Planning

Choose a poem in which an incident or a character or an experience is vividly
described.
Briefly state what the poem is about, and go on to show how the techniques used
make the description vivid.
In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: word-choice,
imagery, mood, structure, characterisation or any other appropriate feature.

Choose a poem which makes you think more deeply about some aspect of life.
State what aspect of life the poem deals with and show how the techniques used by
the poet have deepened your understanding.
In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: theme, ideas,
word-choice, imagery or any other appropriate feature.

Choose a poem which creates an atmosphere of fear, or mystery, or celebration, or
sadness.
Show how the poet builds up this atmosphere and show how it heightens your
appreciation of the poem.
In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: imagery, sound
effects, word-choice, tone, or any other appropriate feature.

Choose a poem which deals with a real or imaginary person or place.
Show how the person or place is introduced and how the techniques used give a
convincing portrayal of that person or place.
In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: characterisation,
imagery, word choice, tone, or any other appropriate feature.

Choose a poem which takes an optimistic view of life.
Briefly state what the poem is about and go on to show how the techniques used
convey these optimistic feelings.
In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: theme, imagery,
word choice, structure, or any other appropriate feature.

Choose a poem which increased your understanding of life in the modern world.
State what aspect of life in the modern world the poem illustrates and go on to
show how the poem, both by its content and by its style, increased your
understanding.
In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: ideas, theme,
imagery, word choice, or any other appropriate feature.