About seven years ago, I went about my business at work
and checked my email.
Everything was under control.
Went to teach a class, came back.
I had no heads-up on this whatsoever.
There was, like, 500 emails in my inbox.
I didn't know exactly what happened,
but-- and I still don't know exactly what happened.
What I could best piece out is that a high school teacher
taught my work, which I'm so grateful for
and I'm so dazzled and amazed by.
But they also taught Walt Whitman,
and apparently, from what I could tell,
also gave out my work email to all 500-something students
in their grade and told them to email me
with whatever commentary they wanted
about my poems, my first book.
[LAUGHTER]
Which is great.
I answered virtually every single one
because I was so thrilled.
But boy, it was a humbling experience.
And you'll see why in a minute.
To reach me at my previous workplace's email,
you have to spell my name correctly.
It was aimee.nezhukumatathil@mycollege.
One of the people who addressed me
spelled my name Nozukiomototootil,
which had six Os in it.
I don't have a single "O" in my last name.
So I just love that they were just like, I don't even care.
[LAUGHTER]
This is another found poem.
All I did was cut and paste pieces
from these 500-some emails and shaped them into a poem.
They're all legit.
They're all actual questions.
And I'm going to share it with you.
This is "Dear Aimee Nozukiomototootil,
if I were to ask you one question about your book
and sum it up into just one word, it would be, why?
I think I like Walt Whitman better than you,
but don't be sad.
For a fast half-hour read, your book takes the cake.
I like how you organize the lines in that one poem
to represent a twisting bonsai tree.
And I wondered if you're going to get a rude reaction when
you meet that one guy from that one poem.
I guess you never know.
I'm sorry.
You're so young.
You're so very young.
You're so young to be a poet.
But I like how your poems take up an entire page.
It makes our reading go by faster.
In class, we spend so much time dissecting your poems
and deeply analyzing.
Don't take offense.
I kind of like Walt Whitman better than you.
But it's OK because you're OK.
You are young.
You are so young.
You are so young and pure.
And you seem like you want to have a good time.
Hi, my name is Alicia.
I loved your poems, and I loved how they
were so easy to understand.
We read your book, and I just loved it.
We also read Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.
There was no competition.
I loved your book so much better.
It was an easy read.
But poetry is not my type of literature.
And sometimes I'm offered drinks.
And sometimes guys cry to talk to me.
But I just brush it off, and I just try to keep on dancing.
I wonder every once in a while sometimes
creepy mean guys try to offer me things,
and then they say something.
So I'm wondering, what would you do?
[LAUGHTER]
Lastly, I was wondering if you ever
wrote a poem that didn't really have a meaning,
but people tried to give it one anyways.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so terribly sorry.
Walt Whitman is better than you."
[LAUGHTER]