Who is Addressee (You) from What Have You Lost? and what is their importance?

Many of the poems in this collection are addressed to a second-person "you." Most of these refer to an unspecified person, likely a reader or some person somewhere; however, other times, the authors address a specific person. For example, in "David," the author addresses his dead brother, David, while in "Mother's Day," a mother addresses her children about her desire to be herself.

Some of the poems address someone whom the poet loved, though the person is not identified, including "Seeing For You," "Legend," "Stranded," "This Isn't Fair," Ernesto Cardenal's untitled poem, and "Going Home." "What We Want" addresses a child; "Letter to an Ancestor" is written to an ancestor whom the author found in a census book, and "Sister" and "Raised Voices" refer to the poets' sisters. In "Tough Ride", the author writes to her deceased husband, claiming she is glad he is dead. The author of "Unveiling the Vietnam Memorial" speaks to someone he loved who was killed during the Vietnam War, and the author of "Thinking of What the Jury Is Deliberating" addresses a murderer on trial, likely who killed someone the poet loved. In "I Give You Back," Joy Harjo addresses fear, and Abbot Cutler speaks to Terry Dobson in "Letter to Terry Dobson".