A heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) writer is described. The HAMR writer is coupled with a laser that provides energy having a first polarization state. The HAMR writer has an air-bearing surface (ABS) configured to reside in proximity to a media during use, a plurality of waveguides, a main pole and at least one coil. The main pole writes to the media and is energized by the coil(s). The waveguides receive the energy from the laser and direct the energy toward the ABS. The waveguides include an input waveguide and an output waveguide. The input waveguide is configured to carry light having the first polarization state. The output waveguide is configured to carry light having a second polarization state different from the first polarization state. The waveguides are optically coupled and configured to transfer the energy from the first polarization state to the second polarization state.