As we get older, our relationships with our parents evolve. Poet Karl Michael Iglesias knows this and has been reflecting on how he’s grown into a new version of his mother’s son. Iglesias explores this evolution, along with his own gratitude, in the poem, “Satellite.” It comes from his poetry chapbook called, “The Bounce.”
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Iglesias told “Wisconsin Life” what inspired him to write “Satellite” and why he centered it around his mother, Esterbina Laureano Rodriguez.
This poem, “Satellite”, centers around my mother visiting my apartment — and me, moments later, locked out after she left. For Mother’s Day, I find myself reflecting not just on our relationship, but on the strange and beautiful phenomenon of becoming someone new, continuing to get to know each other, while remaining the child that they remember us to be. Some moments take years to appreciate. They stay tucked away inside you, waiting. You might forget the key, but all it takes is a knock.
We often pair our youth with angst and overlook the truth that our first best friends are the ones who raised us. It wasn’t until my thirties, after moving across the country, that I understood how blessed I am to be loved by someone who knows me from the inside out.
A young Karl Michael Iglesias with his mother, Esterbina Laureano Rodriguez. Courtesy of Karl Michael Iglesias
Part of my responsibility as a poet is to document my histories: personal, familial and collective. Honoring my mother — her tireless, joyful efforts to move through the world with faith — has found its way into my work. About how precious our time is with each other and in this world. About how her light lives in me. I continue learning from her. Grace, for one. And maybe how Mother’s Day is a moment for gratitude — for those who shaped us, walk beside us, and continue teaching us how to become. Those who open the door.
