Dear Angelo Geter 2021

Dear Mr. Geter,

Thank you so much for reminding me of the beauty, the pain, and the laughter poetry can give us. Before listening to your poem with my class, I thought poetry was stiff. The only poetry I have studied is Shakespearean poems and their lackluster subject matter; I can’t relate to it. I loved your poem though because recently I have had a hard time expressing my feelings to my loved ones, especially my parents. Putting my words together can get a bit overwhelming, and I end up getting tongue-tied mid-sentence. However, as I listened to your poem, all the words I want to convey to my parents were illustrated in your brilliant display of writing. I couldn’t help but laugh when you claimed that you are convinced “[your mother has] thrown a couple of bodies in the river,” because I think my mom has done the same exact thing! If there was a zombie apocalypse, my mom would be one of the last survivors because she is as tough as nails. I also loved how your poem was able to convey the magic of a mother. Last week, my mom refused to throw out the old deli meat in the fridge since the meat wasn’t on discount when we bought it. That night she turned the sketchy slices of meat into delicious sandwiches that I think the top chefs in the country would sell in their Michelin starred restaurants. In addition to this, when you claimed that your “mama has the confidence of Cleopatra... The grace of Harriet

Tubman...and the style of Michelle Obama” I got a clear picture of how strong your mom was and how women can do it all. I admire your writing style, especially when you were telling the audience that your mother fought breast cancer and heart disease. I am a survivor of skin cancer, but when I was in the midst of my fight, I felt like a massive monster was constantly punching my spirit and killing me slowly. Thus, I can relate to your words when you said your mom fought “a giant named Breast cancer” and I sympathized with your mother’s experience because the personification reminded me of my own personal experiences with cancer. I liked your writing so much that I looked up more of your poems, and I appreciate the themes of all your poems! From your childhood to sports, the audience is able to get to know you and your experiences. I was wondering if you will ever publish a book with all your poetry works in it? I would love to buy it because I think your work is amazing, and I’m thrilled to keep reading your poems! I thank you for your time and I hope this letter reaches you safely!

Sincerely,

Catherine

Dear Angelo Geter,

My name is Evangelina, but I prefer to go by Evie. I am a fourteen year old freshman at Norwalk High School, CA. A second generation Mexican American and the youngest child. I am speaking from the heart when I say your poem”Wonder Woman” is probably one of the only poems that has ever impacted me so much. In my heart and mind some expanded and opened making me realize we may not be so different. Your ways that you use your words especially imagery made it such a beautiful poem. Your words danced in my mind transforming in front of my eyes, that I can see everything you were saying happening in my head. You talk about your mother with such grace and strength and I love that, the fact that you show how she pushes through and uses reasoning. When you said “...stopped men dead in their tracks and brought them down to their knees,” I feel the power in that verse, she really had no man stop her. I actually got very emotional while listening to your poem, it had me become grateful for my mom and grandma. You see I relate to so much you said in the poem because I was raised by two powerful women. My grandma stayed at home to watch me and take care of me, making me grow up to be independent and to not be silenced, she was an immigrant at the time and came in the 50’s to the U.S. At the time it wasn't really a good time for people like her, yet she pushed through and did not let anybody hold her back. My mother works full time at a job where mostly men work, however that doesn't stop her from being one of the best there and showing them who's the real boss. That is why I felt some sort of connection to your poem, it sticks out and i'm very sure many people thought of their mothers as well. I can just imagine them nodding their heads while listening, a sound of agreement slipping through their lips. I can assume with the way you describe your mother is she was an independent woman as well.

On the side note I hope your mother is doing well and that you're doing well as well. I have a few questions you see. I'm not a very good poet but I would like to be. I'm pretty sure when writing this poem you thought of your mother, but were there any other ideas or thoughts running through your mind to create this masterpiece? Also what advice do you have for writing a good poem? I have one last question and it kind of personal if you don't mind me asking, but as a teenager I view my mom as very protective and intrusive and you view your mother as powerful and strong; do you believe as time goes by we view our parents differently? If so why?

Sincerely,

Evangelina

Dear Angelo Geter,

Salutations. My name is Jennifer. I am a senior that is currently fighting the supervillain called “Senioritis.” I was browsing through poems until my eye caught the title of “Wonder Woman.” My curiosity was piqued. Wonder Woman was my favorite childhood hero. She is generous, powerful, strong. Everything I wanted to be. When I started to read the poem, I could tell that love flowed in each word. How each line crafted an image of the strongest hero, a mother. The hero mother was described so well, I felt as if I knew her myself. As if I could taste the macaroni on my tongue. Mothers are given the hardest task of all: raise a child in a cold unforgiving world. Mothers must teach their children to learn, to love, to grow. They are our guide and we are their lamb. Mothers deserve more than one day of celebration. They deserve to be appreciated and celebrated every day. The spirit of a mother will forever remain unbroken. Nothing can touch her. For she is the light of the glorious sun, the voice of nature and the sound of the soul. No giant or titan will ever destroy her.

I am reminded of my own mother dearest. Who is fiery as a jalapeño, snappier than a snapping turtle, and sarcastic as heck. (I believe I am not allowed to curse, unfortunately.) Although we may have our differences from time to time, I know she will always be by my side. Some of my most favorite moments are those where she and I hang out and laugh at dumb jokes. And when we talk about life and its mysteries and discuss whether my former math teacher was actually a robot. I could never trade those moments, never. What are your favorite moments with your mother? What are her favorite moments with you?

We are more alike with superheroes than we think. We may not, regrettably, have the speed of the Flash or the strength of Super Man, but we are able to have the same heart as them. We have the ability to be generous, to be kind, to be true. We can be leaders; we can be teammates. Banded together, we are more powerful than any supervillain. If we fight together, we can accomplish any goal. Our power is the power of change. Our costume is words sewn together by kindness. Our cape is not for our own protection, but for the protection of those who need us to guide them. We can all be heroes, but the greatest hero is our mothers.

Well, time to go back to fighting señor “senioritis.”

Sincerely,

Jennifer 

Dear Angelo Geter,

My name is Niki and I am a junior attending school in Kansas City, MO. This year, our English class took the time to go through all the poems submitted to Dear Poet - and out of all of them, your poem “Wonder Woman” resonated the most with me. Your passion and gratitude for your mother reflects a lot of my personal beliefs about my own mother. You say your mother has always “been the strongest person you’ve ever known,” and I’ve regarded mine as my hero my whole life.

As I read the second stanza, I laughed and smiled - exactly like the audience in the video of you performing the poem - as I saw the similarities to my own mother’s personality. My mother has “a monument of a heart” that is large enough to care for my entire extended family and mediate arguments between relatives of all ages. She stands taller than my 6’0 dad at 5’1, and simply cannot leave the house without her signature eyeliner and maroon lipstick because she also believes that “Queens should never leave the house looking like peasants” (although in her version, she has to “look good for the paparazzi”). When you mentioned how your mother makes “ordinary things seem remarkable,” I thought of my mom’s famous Maggi recipe - it starts out as a package of mass-produced 90-cent Indian instant-ramen, but she adds extra vegetables and spices that make it the best.

The lines that most touched me, though, were those talking about your mother’s fight against breast cancer and heart disease. When my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and needed surgery, it seemed to crush me more than her - she always kept a smile on her face while everyone else’s were filled with worry, and it makes her the strongest person I’ve ever known. This goes to support your point that mothers really are some of the most powerful superheroes on this planet, like Wonder Woman.

I was also curious - why Wonder Woman? Why not any other superheroine? Did you have a special connection to the Wonder Woman comics? Also, how do you cope with the fear of potentially losing your mother?

Finally, I’d like to thank you for writing and sharing this poem - I am aware of everything my mom has done for me but I frequently take her actions for granted. Reading your poem inspired me to take the time to thank her last night and help out with some extra chores - it’s not much, but it’s the least I could do. I appreciate your part in encouraging me to wake up and do so.

Sincerely,

Niki

Dear Angelo Geter,

Hello, my name is Tomás, I am in seventh grade, I have a newly discovered interest in writing, and I love to play piano.

Your poem “Wonder Woman” was beautifully expressive, and deeply emotional. Your poem reminded me of my Abuela Gaby, and her resilience no matter what was in her way. The way you described the determination of your mother and how she was committed to raising you so that you could have a better future was incredibly inspiring and pulled at my heartstrings. My Abuela was similar, she raised 8 children on her own and was a strict, no-nonsense mother. No matter what happened, my Abuela fought for the future of her children, as she brought her children to the USA and took a minimum wage job cleaning apartments in order to provide for her sons and daughters. My father was the first in his family to go to college, and when he graduated, his mother was so proud. I know the value of resilience and determination from my Abuela, just as you know it from your mother. My Abuela really was a Wonder Woman, and I look up to her as my role model, for she was a true fighter.

The line in your poem where you said that being a man is about the enormity of your character was one of the lines that really stood out to me, and I really understood the deep and beautiful meaning of the line, that nothing is more important than your character and your personality. The way you showed how your mother cared for you and taught you was really beautiful and rich in emotion. Your voice and the way you wrote the poem was really incredible. When you read the poem I could feel the way you admired your mother and truly saw all the incredible things she did.

Your poem really spoke to me and made me feel motivated to work as hard as I possibly can, and your poem had a great inspirational feeling, while also providing some humor at times, which made it incredibly enjoyable to read and listen to. There were times where your poem made me cry, but also times where it made me laugh and smile. When you said “My mama has a monument for a heart,” it made me reflect on and remember the times when my own mama showed just how big her heart was, and it reminded me of how much I love her and how incredible she is.

What sparked your interest in writing and poetry, and what drove you to write this poem in particular? How do you motivate yourself to keep writing? Thank you so much for this beautiful poem and sharing it with the world.

Hoping for a response,

Tomás