I got a love poem published once, but I don't think I can help because of the way I did it. I just simply found one day on facebook that there was a poetry contest and worthy poems would be published in a book of collective poems, top winners would get prizes and $$$. I put my heart and soul and many hours into a poem and I sent it in, and I was actually worthy and it got published.
But nothing happened after, I didn't expect much in the first place but that's just for the record. I did though start having doubts later about the legitimacy of the contest because I had to buy my own copy of the book, and when I looked through it while there was some good stuff, there was this stuff like this one about fricken Justin Bieber. After that I started to feel a bit scammed. Regardless of that though I still love the poem and have it down in my own little notebook of poems that has gathered some dust.
So my advice, avoid contests.
