“Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that delves into the meaning of your first or last name. Looking for inspiration? Take a look at this poem by Mark Wunderlich, appropriately titled “Wunderlich.”
My poem for the day – ‘The name I’m called by’
The name I’m called by
Wasn’t bestowed on me by my dear father
Perhaps like Shakespeare, he
thought, ‘What’s in a name? A rose by
any other name
would smell as sweet.’
My name wasn’t chosen by my dearest
mother
Perhaps she simply content herself with
my existence
It made no difference
to her the name by which I be addressed
And so, the story goes, the name I was
christened with
Wasn’t the result of an astrological
prediction
Or a numerological calculation
But one given by an uncle, whose name I
cannot disclose
For fear of his life,
for he now has a loving wife
My name is the name of his past love,
they say
The lady was rich and quite the beauty
in her day
Maybe he wished the same for me, some
day
Why else would he decide on a name
that reminded him of an old flame-
who left him pining
and nursing-
his broken heart
while she blossomed
and smiled,
With another, far away
The name I’m called by
could not be more apt
You will agree if you see me;
though my children might disagree
The name means ‘Smile’ or ‘Smiling’
The name means ‘Blossomed’-
A blossom that makes people smile
Or a smile that makes people blossom
The sound of it makes me smile quicker
than when someone says ‘Cheese’
And so the name I’m called by
I can’t help but love
And for that I must my dear uncle, thank
For if he loved a woman by any other
name
It simply would not be the same.
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