1. Enjambment – enjambment is when the line is continued onto the next line without any pause. In the poem, the poet uses enjambment in the first two lines in order to emphasis on a single idea. The poet uses enjambment to create an internal connection and flow in the poem.
2. Imagery– imagery is the use of words by a poet to paint a picture in the minds of the reader. Imagery can be of various types; tactile, olfactory, auditory, gustatory and visual. The poet employs visual and tactile imagery in the lines “I like to touch your tattoos”, “neat/ lines of lightning pulsing just above/ your nipple,” and “the blue/ swirls of water on your shoulder”.
3. Alliteration – Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem the poet repeats /l/ and /t/ in the lines “line of lightning”, “touch your tattoos” and “touch them”.
4. Metaphor- metaphor is used when the poet makes an undercut comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. In the, the poet compares the tattoos to the “keys” to the lover’s heart in the first stanza. And in the second stanza she compares the tattoos to “pictures in your skin,”
5. Paradox- paradox is used when the poet talks about two contradictory ideas together. In the poem, the poet creates a paradox between permanence and impermanence. She likes the permanence of the tattoos but at the same time “Such permanence is terrifying”.
6. Epigram– epigram is a short phrase or saying in the last lines of the poem which express the idea of the poem. The last line of the poem expresses the central concept of the poem, i.e. she tries to have the quality of permanence of the tattoos in her relationship with her lover.

First Poem for You Summary