Should I give her the love poem I wrote?

Dear Advice Girl,

I have a bit of a problem. There’s a girl I like, and through one of my classes I recognized that I have some talent for writing poetry. So I wrote her one, but I’m not sure whether to give it to her or not. My friends are discouraging it, but none of them have girlfriends, so I doubt I should trust them with this kind of thing.

Signed,
   Jeffrey

Dear Jeffrey,

Even if they don’t have girlfriends, your friends are totally right. You should not (not not not not not) give a girl a poem or love letter, or even a random gift, unless you’re already dating her. It would only work out if she’s already hopelessly in love with you – and, uh, that’s not a risk you want to take. Even if she thinks you’re cute, a poem will only scare her off or weird her out.

Stash your poem in a private place (no, not your blog). Flirt with your crush in a less risky way – like, by talking to her. And if you ever do snag her, and things are going well, then you can shower her with all the romantic stuff.