What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why, / I have forgotten
-- Speaker (Lines 1 – 2)

Importance: These are the opening lines of the poem, and they introduce the reader to the central tension that exists throughout the sonnet: that the speaker cannot recall the particularities of her lovers from the past. One may expect that the poem, given its first line, will be about love, but the second line upsets the reader's expectations with the simple, straightforward assertion, "I have forgotten." This disruption is compounded by the fact that the line contains a caesura, or pause, in the middle, temporarily halting the flow of the poem.

...and what arms have lain / Under my head till morning
-- Speaker (Lines 2 – 3)

Importance: As the speaker continues, she once again explains that she has forgotten her past lovers by breaking them down into body parts: first lips, then arms. Here, the speaker provides the reader with the first indication that...