43 Breakup Poems to Turn Your Sadness Into Laughter

Inside:43 Breakup Poems to Turn Your Sadness Into Laughter

It’s no secret that breakups are hard, with so many emotional ties things can get super messy. Some say that the initial split, the physical one is the hardest. When the person you spent most of your time texting, talking, and being with is just suddenly…no longer there.

This is painful, of course.

But in my opinion, nothing compares to the emotional pain that will be filling the space that your person once had, in the weeks to come.

You may be asking yourself, how do I get through this? I’m truly sorry to say that there is no roadmap to mending a broken heart. It’s a different experience for everyone. Some become hermits, some numb the pain with drinks, some do some serious internet stalking, and of course, some people do all three.

One of my favorite ways to get through a breakup? Well, I’m glad you asked…

I find that leaning on the arts can really help you through heartbreak like this… by reading other people’s experiences, you just might find that you aren’t as alone as you feel. There are so many other people who have gone through it, and they wrote about it to help people like you go through your emotions!

So I’ve made a list of 43 Breakup Poems that will turn your sadness into laughter! Read on to get the healing started.

Break Up Poetry

So not all of these are light-hearted. In fact, I’ve actually created a layout that will take you through the motions in a way to help you get out some of those emotions. I start out with the sad ones, these are inevitable. Instead of avoiding those emotions, it’s important for you to let them out, validate them! That way when you’re grocery shopping a year from now and you see their favorite snack, you won’t burst into a puddle of tears. This first list is for those intense emotions, so grab some sweets, a tissue box, a sad playless, and get to crying!

1. Time Will Not Bring Relief, You Have All Lied

Time does not bring relief; you all have lied
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year’s leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year’s bitter loving must remain
Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide

There are a hundred places where I fear
To go,—so with his memory they brim
And entering with relief some quiet place
Where never fell his foot or shone his face
I say, “There is no memory of him here!”
And so stand stricken, so remembering him!

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

2. What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, And Where, And Why

What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
Under my head till morning; but the rain
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Upon the glass and listen for reply,
And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain
For unremembered lads that not again
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry.
Thus in winter stands the lonely tree,
Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:
I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
I only know that summer sang in me
A little while, that in me sings no more.

3. I Will Love You(continue reading here)

With all of my heart I love you.
I honestly, truly do.
But with every angry word spoken,
I become more resentful of you.

It’s like we’ve forgotten our history.
We’ve forgotten what we had before.
And now I’m ever closer, it seems,
To packing up and closing the door.

I imagined having your children,
And what a beautiful thing it would be.
Thought we’d find a house and settle down.
Make four where there once was three.

But now those dreams are distant,
Filled with a fog made up of fear.
My body is fighting through the mist,
But the doubt is all I hear.

Hostile hands and heavy hearts…
They join together here.
And in a flash, as quick as that,
I’ve hurt you, and you me, my dear.

-Larah J. Davies

4. He Is Hurting Too

He’s tired of the pain.
He’s tired of every lie.
He’s tired of the countless nights
When all he does is cry.

He’s pretending not to care.
He said that he is fine,
But really he is hoping
Someone will read his mind.

Everyone’s sad for her;
No one knows what he’s going through,
And not even his friends can see
That he is hurting too.

-Leah Williams

5. Emotions of a Breakup

I could ask you to stay,
But there’s really nothing left to say.

This breakup has been emotional and long,
But I know I’m strong.

I guess we naturally grew apart,
But it still hurts in my heart.

We went days without speaking or sending a text,
And I could only wonder what was next.

There were times we couldn’t look each other in the eye.
How did we get this far, and why did something so special have to die?

As I write this, memories flood me.
They remind of all we used to be.

Even when things were bad, I never thought this relationship would end.
Our broken hearts I thought we could mend.

Now you’ve left without a goodbye.
I’ve got no energy to even cry.

I knew it was over when we started doing things on our own.
You got so distant and I was alone.

I tried getting you to notice that I was still there,
But you made up your mind and didn’t care.

There are many nights when you’re all that’s on my mind.
I hope happiness is what you find.

There are days when I just can’t get out of bed.
But “try” is what you always said.

So every day I try to put on a smile.
Even if it’s not a real one for a while.

We were together for so many years, so do you ever shed tears?
I know I’ve got to let you go,

And someday I will,
But mixed emotions are what I feel.

We both made our fair share of mistakes.
It feels like I’m drowning in sadness, anger, and resentment, all in different lakes.

I honestly wish you nothing but the best
As my strength and endurance is put to the test.
– Sierra

6. Our Many Never Endings

You entered the bedroom and fell to your knees.
I wait the rest of my life to hear you say, I made a mistake.

Inside my chest, a mangle.
Inside yours, a deflating balloon.

You took the vacuum cleaner, the ironing board, the dish rack
and left me some lint, an iron to scorch shirts, one chipped plate.

I would like to say at least we perfected
entrances and exits, like professional stage actors

honing their craft, but even that’s a fantasy.
Mostly on TV the lions ate the hyenas

but sometimes the hyenas
formed a posse, and tore a lion up.

Occasionally you came in out of the rain
and I was glad to have you.

7. Plea

Secrets, you said, would hold us two apart;
    You’d have me know of you your least transgression
And so the intimate places of your heart,
    Kneeling, you bared to me, as in confession.
Softly you told of loves that went before,—
    Of clinging arms, of kisses gladly given;
Luxuriously clean of heart once more,
    You rose up, then, and stood before me, shriven.

When this, my day of happiness, is through,
    And love, that bloomed so fair, turns brown and brittle,
There is a thing that I shall ask of you—
    I, who have given so much, and asked so little.
Some day, when there’s another in my stead;
    Again you’ll feel the need of absolution,
And you will go to her, and bow your head,
    And offer her your past, as contribution.

When with your list of loves you overcome her,
For Heaven’s sake, keep this one secret from her!

-Dorothy Parker

8. You don’t love me, you say, and deflate

You don’t love me, you say, and deflate
our air mattress, meeting me at the fold.
                                        We’re in a bad lesbian performance piece

You don’t eat the sandwich I make you.
I puncture your yoga ball. Or, the dog did
                                                            This is a drawing of the dog.
                                           I meant to watch something and be still
                                                                                 for a long time.

I’m not sure what belongs to me.
                                      It’s your money
                                                         stop asking me what you mean

Porcelain skunk, perfect Q-tip holder.
Ceramic parrot, good for something.

                  If you don’t trust me with this cup then wrap it yourself.

The dog hasn’t stopped barking in hours—anxious.

                                  I know you can lift the chair, what you can do
                                                                                is not the point.

9. You Thought

You thought I’d flipped the switch and I hadn’t
You thought I’d left the window open
And I wouldn’t
You thought I’d turn the dial up
But I didn’t
You thought I’d ring the sun the super
But I shouldn’t
You thought I’d unlock the beehive
But I wouldn’t
You thought I’d sing the dirge
But I couldn’t
You thought I’d cook the rabbit
And I hadn’t
You thought I’d come back that day
And I didn’t
You thought I’d tend the flowers
But I couldn’t
You thought I’d turn the lock
But I hadn’t
You thought I’d open the door
See you
But I couldn’t
You thought I’d lay down
But I couldn’t
It kills me still
I couldn’t
I couldn’t

– Dorothea Lasky

10. Someday You’ll Miss Me Like I Missed You

Someday you’ll miss me like I missed you.
Someday you’ll cry for me like I cried for you.
Someday you’ll want me back like I wanted you.
Someday you’ll understand why you broke my heart when I didn’t.
Someday you’ll understand that I was the only girl that put up with all your mess.
Someday you’ll know how pain feels, how you hurt me.
Someday your life will turn upside down like mine did when you broke my heart.
Someday you’ll have someone hurt you like you hurt me.
Someday you’ll realize how lonely life can be.
Someday you can sit down and think how much I meant to you
When you meant the world to me.
Someday you’ll know how I really felt.
Someday you’ll try to come back to me like I tried with you,
But someday you’ll love me when I won’t love you.
– Summer

11. When You Leave

When you leave it will be empty:
dried leaves on gray-haired limbs,
clumps of gooseberry minus the berries.

Tracks across frozen water will lead
to a frigid channel,
springs seeping away from the source,
snow-covered hills reminding us
of the rolling, frozen sea.

The sun, low and yellow,
will not thaw any ice-covered bridges,
all slipping and falling,
no turtle miraculous emerging
from the snowbank to save me.

When you leave it will be all deer track
and rabbit scat, decayed leaf and prickly ash,
evidence of frantic digging.
Brush continuing a slow choke
over the disconnected sandbar,
little bluestem fighting back.

When you are gone it will be indelible
as a leaf fossil in ice, brief, no answer
in the night to the call of your name,
morning minus the light, forever
non-communion.

-Twyla M. Hansen

12. Truth

13. Love, I’m Done with You

14. Walking Away

I’m tired of dreaming.
I’m through with trying.
Tired of living, yet scared of dying.
Maybe things are good for you,
but look at all that I’ve been through.
Look at all the pain I’ve won.
I bet you think that it’s been fun.
You never thought I’d turn away.
You never believed you’d see this day.
Look again because here I go,
leaving behind all I know.
Changing it all as I must do.
Not daring to stop and think things through.
Wanting to run as fast as I can,
not stopping until I understand.
Like why did I let things get this way?
Why didn’t I leave yesterday?
How are things going to be
since there is no more you and me?
– Vanessa Brown

15. Lost Loves

I
On ashes of old volcanoes
I lie baking
the deathward flesh in the sun.

I can hear
a door, far away,
banging in the wind:

Mole Street. Quai-aux-Fleurs. Françoise.
Greta. “After Lunch” by Po Chu-I.
“The Sunflower” by Blake.

2
And yet I can rejoice
that everything changes, that
we go from life
into life,

and enter ourselves
quaking
like the tadpole, its time come, tumbling toward the slime.

-Galway Kinnel

I Will Always Love You Break-Up Poems

Breaking up with someone doesn’t mean the love will go away, I don’t think it ever fully will. But it will change right along with you while you grow through life. You’ll always have those memories. And though they aren’t still in your life, that love happened, it was real, and you can’t say otherwise. These next poems will be honoring the loss of love that you may be experiencing right now. Remember that everything happens for a reason, and although this may hurt like heck…there’s something more aligned with you waiting around the corner. You just have to make room for it! So let it out, to make room for the new.

16. Losing Someone You Love

18. The Sea of Glass

I looked and saw a sea
roofed over with rainbows,
In the midst of each
two lovers met and departed;
Then the sky was full of faces
with gold glories behind them.

-Ezra Pound

19. Just the End

I regret the end.

The way we couldn’t
leave one another
without wounds.

The way we made
it seem as if
all the love we shared
was wasted time.

-S.L Gray

20. Poem for Haruko

I never thought I’d keep a record of my pain
or happiness
like candles lighting the entire soft lace
of the air
around the full length of your hair/a shower
organized by God
in brown and auburn
undulations luminous like particles
of flame
But now I do
retrieve an afternoon of apricots
and water interspersed with cigarettes
and sand and rocks
we walked across:
How easily you held
my hand
beside the low tide
of the world

Now I do
relive an evening of retreat
a bridge I left behind
where all the solid heat
of lust and tender trembling
lay as cruel and as kind
as passion spins its infinite
tergiversations in between the bitter
and the sweet

Alone and longing for you
now I do

-June Jordan

21. You Are the Penultimate Love of My Life

22. Bei Hennef(Read Full Poem Here)

The little river twittering in the twilight,
The wan, wondering look of the pale sky,
This is almost bliss.

And everything shut up and gone to sleep,
All the troubles and anxieties and pain
Gone under the twilight.

Only the twilight now, and the soft “Sh!” of the river
That will last forever….

23. A Memory

I remember
The crackle of the palm trees
Over the mooned white roofs of the town…
The shining town…
And the tender fumbling of the surf
On the sulphur-yellow beaches
As we sat…a little apart…in the close-pressing night.

The moon hung above us like a golden mango,
And the moist air clung to our faces,
Warm and fragrant as the open mouth of a child
And we watched the out-flung sea
Rolling to the purple edge of the world,
Yet ever back upon itself…
As we…

Inadequate night…
And mooned white memory
Of a tropic sea…
How softly it comes up
Like an ungathered lily.

-Lola Ridge

24. Coming and Going

My marriage ended in an airport long ago.
I was not wise enough to cry while looking for my car,

walking through the underground garage;
jets were roaring overhead, and if I had been wise

I would have looked up at those heavy-bellied cylinders
and seen the wheelchairs and the frightened dogs inside;

the kidneys bedded in dry ice and Styrofoam containers.
I would have known that in synagogues and churches all over town

-Tony Hoagland

25. Difference

Talk to you tonight,
I wrote this morning, knowing
it would only be the afternoon
where you are, will be,
whole neighborhood still
wrapped in a tule fog
that won’t let up—so you reported
before supper
while I slept.
I almost wrote this afternoon
instead, taking your point
of view, dissolving into it—
but then imagined
you half-awake, and irked,
into my future/current noon
texting for clarification.

26. Mine is the First Rodeo, Mine is the Last Accolade(Read Full Poem Here)

27. If My Heart Breaks To Say Goodbye

Every day hurts as much as the last.
If I could turn back time, I’d return to the past.

A past where things were lovely and true.
A past where I know I could be with you.

With the future, it is still unknown.
I thank you though for the love you had shown.

My world has been turned upside down.
Each day gets harder from what I have found.

I try to be strong, but I always fail.
At times I can’t believe that this is real.

Many a night I have dreamt about you.
I wonder, have you dreamt of me too?

You were my heart; you were my soul.
You filled me with joy and made me whole.

You will always be within my heart.
Love can be cruel, but it can be art.

You truly mean the world to me.
So because of love, I’ve set you free.

You’re beautiful outside and within.
On top of that, you’re my best friend.

I’ll always have you on my mind.
It’s sad, as real love is hard to find.

I’ve always believed you were my soulmate.
Now the decision may lay with fate.

Things have changed and there are different paths.
Now we are separate and different halves.

You hold my heart forever, I hope.
I pray that one day I’ll be able to cope.

You made me happy all of the time.
I only wish that one day you’ll be mine.

If there’s anything I can do, please be sure to let me know.
It’s times like these when true love grows.

One eye on the future, one eye on the past.
I will try to make these memories last.

I will always remember what we once shared.
I need you to know that I always cared.

If there’s a future where we will be,
It’s something I’m sure I’ll look forward to see.

I can never get you out of my head.
I wish only happy things be there instead.

I’ll cherish every moment until the day I am gone.
You, my love, have always shone.

I wish, I wish you were by my side.
It would fill me with lots of pride.

The truest love is hard to find.
After losing you, I’ve lost my mind.

You were me and I was you.
I hope you know as I do too.

Love’s not a feeling but something you give.
Without the love, it’s crushing to live.

Until and if we meet again.
My love for you will always reign.

Take care, my love, and don’t forget.
I’ve a lot of love here, I’m sure of it.

Please never forget me, remember the good.
Think of me always as I know you should.

I hope our paths connect again one day.
I will always dream you’ll come back to stay.

I love you, I always will.
The love we shared was such a thrill.

For now, my love, I must say goodbye.
It breaks my heart; I shall not lie.

God bless you; God bless you good.
Please love me always as I know you could.

-Ciaran P. McGreevy

28. Tell Me Something Good(Read Full Poem Here)

You are standing in the minefield again.
Someone who is dead now

told you it is where you will learn
to dance. Snow on your lips like a salted

cut, you leap between your deaths, black as god’s
periods. Your arms cleaving little wounds

in the wind. You are something made. Then made
to survive, which means you are somebody’s…

-Ocean Vuong

29. And I in My Bed Again

Last night
tossed in
my bed
the sound of the rain turned me
around,
a leaf
in a dried gully
from side to
side,
the sound of the rain took me
apart,      opened to             what is it?
breath caught in memory of
a deep sweetness
that sound
unceasing
delicate,             the wetness running
through my body
It might be nighttime
in a forest hut,
the rain constant
in little rivulets
splashing,
at times uncertain—

safe in each other’s arms,
the rain sheltering
us       a depth opening
bottomless to a terrible sweetness,
the small rain
shaking us in our bed
(the terror)
whispering
End of a season,
wind from the west

Funny Breakup Poems

Now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve been waiting for…THE FUNNY BREAK-UP POEMS. Now that you’ve had your good crying session, let’s fill those spaces with some laughter. Let’s face it…something about this is funny from an outside perspective. Sure, it feels very intense from your perspective as it should! But picture someone seeing you through a window shoveling chocolate ice cream into your face while weeping to Celion Dion or Taylor Swift…Objectively it’s funny. You have to be able to laugh at yourself! And though the loss of the relationship feels awful, obvious you were incompatible in some kind of way. Face the music, you were much too good for him! Read on to get those laughs and get on with your life. There are new opportunities waiting for you!

30. Love is a Fire

Love is a fire.

But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell.

-Joan Crawford

31. Rememberances

How am I supposed to forget you,

when everytime I leave my house,

I’m confronted with things that remind me of you,

like garbage cans, and dog poop.

-Unknown

32. God

Our inevitable breakup came down to

A simple disagreement

You see,

He thought he was god,

I didn’t.

-Unknown

33. The Perfect Relationship

With every passing year

Our relationship gets better and better

But, we’re divorced, you say

Exactly.

-Unknown

34. Roses

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

We’re breaking up because I never loved you.

-Unknown

35. Misery

I’m so miserable without you,

It’s almost as if you’re here!

-Billy Rae Cyrus

36. Hating is an Art

Love is a word that is constantly heard, Hate is a word that is not.

Love, I am told, is more precious than gold.

Love, I have read, is hot. But Hate is the verb that to me is superb, And Love but a drug on the mart.

Any kiddie in school can Love like a fool,

But Hating, my boy, is an Art

-Ogdan Nash

37. Fantacies

There are many signs that

the relationship has run its course,

but when you start to fantasize

about his funeral,

you know it’s over.

-unknown

38. No.

You asked me

If we could remain friends after our breakup,

Oh my dear,

That would be like a kidnapper,

asking his captive if they could keep in touch

when they part ways.

No.

-Unknown

39. A Life Sentence

The best revenge you can get

on the woman who stole your man,

is to let her keep him.

-Unknown

40. So long.

There’s something I’ve wanted to say to you,

From the first moment we met,

and that is goodbye.

41. The Penalty of Marriage

When I think of a merry,

happy, free girl,

and look at the ailing,

aching state a wife is generally doomed to,

which you can’t deny is the penalty of marriage.

-Queen Victoria

42. Mismatched

You were the jelly to my burger,

The Knife to my soup,

The Katchup to my Ice Cream

My point is, this isn’t working.

-Unknown

43. Realizations

When we broke up,

you asked me if it was you,

it wasn’t you.

It was me, finally realizing that

you were terrible for me.

-Unknown

More Poems You’ll Love

• 51 I Miss You Poems Missing someone is a painful feeling, whether it be a friend, family member, pet, or romantic partner. Missing someone can be a lonely experience, especially if you know that the individual is lost forever. To find solace, read some of these pieces about how it feels to miss someone, and what it’s like to begin to overcome that feeling.
• 23 Poems About Adventure Adventure is more or less what living life is all about. We are all chasing our own adventures. Some people want to experience new places, some people want to do exhilarating activities, and others have their own life plans or goals in mind. This collection is all about chasing adventure and embracing it when you get the chance to.
• 23 Incredible Rumi Poems This is a collection of pieces all written by the thirteenth-century poet, Rumi, who has garnered worldwide fame over the course of hundreds of years. His words touch upon tender emotions. His talents for writing have connected humans across generations, and these are some of his best works. You certainly don’t want to miss out on them.