Point of View

Throughout “Devotion,” Vuong primarily uses a first-person perspective. This first-person point of view fits the lyricism of Vuong’s poem, in which he hones in on and reveals his contemplations about a highly specific moment of physical intimacy with another man – “I press mine [my tongue] / to the navel’s familiar / whorl, molasses threads / descending toward / devotion, & there’s nothing / more holy than holding / a man’s heartbeat between / your teeth, sharpened / with too much / air” (13-22). Further contributing to the first-person lyricism of Vuong’s poetry is his focus on religious “devotion” in addition to physical intimacy and his heartfelt considerations of the holiness of “holding / a man’s heartbeat between / your teeth.” In fact, Vuong’s first-person perspective combined with his lyricism and religious focus puts him in line with a long history of female poets, who found different ways to respond to...