Good Man

“Good Man” doesn’t follow a discernable form of closed poetry; instead, it builds in typical fashion for a spoken word piece, using shifting rhythm and some internal rhyme as the poet moves through his arguments. The first six stanzas are all longer than the final one, making Geter’s conclusion a poignant, concise ending to his longer story and arguments. As a spoken word piece, “Good Man” does contain some traditional elements of the form: It has a story arc with consistent metaphors and themes, it uses enjambment and word play, and it builds vivid images so that a listener can follow along.

One of Geter’s most heavily used devices is alliteration and consonance, where the beginnings of words and the same sounds in words are repeated close together for dramatic effect. This is present in combinations of words like “scrubs and snakes” (Line 4) or “video vixen” (Line 43) or “detonated your destiny” (Line 48). In each example, the aural quality of the phrasing aids to the tension in the poem, especially when read out loud. This effect makes these parts of the poem more memorable; in addition, these are usually key images that the poet wants a reader or listener to note.