Defining Love in Second Person: An Exploration of “You Are Jeff — 24” by Richard Siken
<p>The 24th and final part of Richard Siken’s poem “You Are Jeff” explores the ways we say “I love you” without words. The poem positions the reader intimately within the lines through the use of second person point of view. The use of the personal pronoun “you” is used by Siken to heighten the gravity of the poem as well as the emotional impact of his word choice. In part 24, Siken ties the utterance of an “I love you” to feelings of guilt, shame, and sin. In the poem, “you” are in a position of yearning. You are seeking a confirmation that these feelings, this “I love you” goes both ways. It is important to note that Siken sets it up this way: the boy is beautiful, but that doesn’t change the fact that he will still never tell you that he loves you. This is when the guilt sets in. “And you feel like you’ve done something terrible” so Siken draws these similes to crime, suicide, and self-imposed punishment. It is important to note at this point in the poem that Siken is an openly gay man. Now, while the poet and the author only blend to a certain extent, Siken’s sexuality plays heavily into readings of these lines as feelings of internalized homophobia, strengthening the tie drawn between love and guilt.</p>
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