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First Poem For You By Kim Addonizio

758 Words4 Pages

In any new relationship the thoughts of its longevity run through the mind of its participants, as is the case with the narrator in Kim Addonizio’s sonnet, First Poem For You. The narrator expresses her affection and concerns she has on her new relationship, and illustrates the permanence and impermanence within; the tattoos that symbolize the idea of permanence, and her relationship that symbolizes impermanence. This Shakespearian sonnet utilizes darkness and tattoos as symbols, formal verse and structure, and visual and tactile imagery to set the tone and express the love and fear the narrator has for her new relationship.
The opening lines begin with darkness as its first symbol, “I like to touch your tattoos in complete / darkness, when I can't see …show more content…

This type of sonnet is used by Shakespeare and contains the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The comfort and rhythmic effect of the rhyme scheme allows for an easier understanding of the emotions the narrator is trying to convey. The rhyming pattern that occurs at the end of the poem captures the entire meaning of the sonnet in its final two lines, “Such permanence is terrifying. / So I touch them in the dark; but touch them, trying.” (Lines 13-14). This reveals the fear the writer has for her partner’s possible wavering love in contrast to his permanent tattoos that represent the idea of permanence. Additionally, the rhyme style and word use help to interpret the meaning of the poem’s formal verse. Furthermore, the poem uses an element called enjambment, to draw the attention of its readers to certain details. Enjambment is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as, “the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.” In my interpretation of this element, the use of enjambment illustrates the desire to have her partner’s love continue without end or pause, and speaks to the uncertainty of knowing when things

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