Named after a woman I never met, stories of her now vague recollections
For a long time, the name held no meaning to me
Burdened, carrying this weight of insignificance
Why couldn’t I be a Margaret or Lucy?

My name is a whole phonetics class, nobody signed up for.
A dance on everyone’s tongue yet no one knew the moves
Dropped on its head every time, returned to me broken whenever I introduced myself
Like a child hiding a bad grade from their parents,
I wished I could hide my name from the world, put it behind my back and pretend it never existed.
What name?

I had always hated it, I had always wished it into non-existence
but I realize now that my name is my flag, my name is my anthem
A path leading me to where I am from
There is tradition in my name, a whole family lineage.

My name carries stories of great women of the past
It carries histories of my community; no history book can compete with
My heavy name carries a depth no foreign name could possibly carry
So allow me to introduce myself and take your lips to syllables your tongue never knew existed.