Cifriana Mina Dela Cruz
Gentrification, according to the dictionary, is the process in which a poor urban area is changed due to wealthier people moving in and modifying the area, which mostly forces out people who are currently living there. Communities are destroyed, people who have their way of life forcibly relocating all so that corporate can “improve the land”. Unfortunately it isn’t really talked about, there seems to be a mindset that people’s lives would be improved if they created businesses there, not realizing that those already built up history and community in their circumstances. As I was reading the poem “A Letter to the Editor” by Antonio Lopez, the speaker also seemed to carry this sentiment that there is more to those areas than to what outsiders perceived them to be.
First of all, the poem was structured like a letter towards a woman named Kara Derr, the writer of the article “Life on the Other Side of the Silicon Valley’s Tracks”, which is pretty unique in itself. And I think this challenges the structure of English poetry because it completely goes against the traditions and “rules” that most people would use to determine the quality of a poem. Interestingly enough though, because of the way the letter is structured, it also has this informal feel as the speaker addresses his complaints about the article. This is especially noticed at the end of the poem, where there is one phrase in Spanish that stands out from the rest (I will get to that in a moment as well so please bear with me).
The second thing I noticed is the mocking quality within the poem. The speaker makes it very clear through quoting various phrases in Ms. Kerr’s article that it seems as if she believes that their actions have ultimately improved the town, calling it “this once down-and-out” town now known as “a ‘strategic’ location in the Silicon Valley”. It’s through this alone that we can see through their “generosity” to help the town, which was once thought of as an area to skip over, only to be used for profit. The speaker mocks her words, downplaying what she believed to be legitimate achievements that help out the citizens from his town, using phrases like “cut a measly ribbon, patted themselves/on the back”, “touted tech hubs…/ for being on the “cutting edge of social/innovation”. The speaker reveals that it is nothing but lip service, praising themselves for not even doing the bare minimum. In a way I think it challenges gentrification because it questions the justifications that those like Ms. Kerr have for doing so.
This is especially true when moving forward with the poem, when the speaker asks five questions to the editor. He begins to question if his life is of any value, which also is a way of resistance. As stated in Lopez’ “Gentefication”, he questions gentrification as not only the death of communities, but also his way of life, or even his culture, the death of his language, or even the outsider’s perception of his life. And I think this is especially clear here, when he reveals the way others have perceived him. Phrases like “Atherton moms keep asking if I was related to the/facilities workers”, “should I unlearn Spanish”, “How many times does my dad have to make pozole”, reveal his exhaustion on having to cater to the outsider’s view of success and how much of his life is not just seen as different, but pitiful. This leads up to the “Mas que nada, como te parace…” question.
I looked up the phrase. According to Google Translate, it means “more than anything, how do you think”. So the whole question posed is roughly “More than anything, how do you think if you and your colleagues wrote about/us, and not just the negative shit?” This… struck a chord with me. And that phrase alone is probably what made this poem stand out to me. And I think keeping the last phrase in Spanish before turning it into English is completely rebelling against the rules of English poetry, because in that moment I think was the moment of highest emotion, almost like a betrayal. And I think the fact that it was in Spanish made it more personal, while also leaving the audience in the dark in some way. If he translated that in English, I don’t think it would have the same impact, because in a way the Spanish phrase could be seen as the speakers’ way of holding onto his last remnants of life before they came and took what they had just for monetary gain.
I believed that through his poetic structure and mocking tone, along with the remnants of his heritage, “A Letter to the Editor” separates the true motives of those in favor of gentrification and exposes them, as well as the consequences for leaving those who still reside there behind.
Introduction to Poetry 