The name I carry

My name
wasn’t chosen
to honor saints
or long dead
relatives –

It was selected
without reason
or ceremony.

They just
liked the sound.

The way
the syllables
made a melody
in their mouths.

I wore it
like skin

Fascinated
by the way
it lilted
others’ tongues –

whispered
lovingly,

moaned
in the dark,

hissed
in anger.

It settled in my soul
like a seed
dropped carelessly
in the soil
that took
root
anyway