Good Man

Stanza 1

The opening lines of “Good Man” establish a conversation both in the direct content of the poem as well as in the overall way a reader or listener is intended to engage in the text. Geter begins with the casual phrase, “So the other day” (Line 1), as if to invite anyone into the story he is about to weave. The remainder of the first stanza is portrayed as a paraphrase of his sister’s perspective, which continues in the informal tone. Several of the sister’s statements are both colloquial and cliché: Geter is painting, through the sister’s character, a commonly held narrative about how difficult it is to find a good man who is “worthy” and heterosexual.

In the first stanza, Geter also introduces his rhythmic style. A slam artist, Geter’s poetry is set up to be performed out loud, with alliteration, assonance, and visual metaphors that hold the poem together. Many of the most important messages in the poem are presented, sonically, as separate from what is around them.