They should have Named me Susannah  

Well, I prefer they had named me Susannah 
so I'd carry a song to my name-- 
a mouth full of buckwheat cake 
and tears that never ceased--
to resonate as I hear them sing me
so I'd cry from my hometown 
all the way to Havana

And they'd sing me that song 
--banjo or no banjo--
all the hot, merry good ol' day 
until they'd sucked all the marrow, 
bone dry into tomorrow 
so that all the señoritas made to stroll the town-square  
could stay home and work on their prose 

Or
Diana, pretty please, like in that Paul Anka oldie--
"Oh, please, stay by me, Diana." 
Or 
Caroline, for whom "good times never seemed so good"
Or, Amanda, or Rosanna, Elvira, or Billie Jean,
Or at best, a Mary: 
"of hair of gold and lips like cherry" -- but smart.

But no, the name my parents gave me is of beauty 
and grace alone. 
virtues you can find in a goldfish, 
in the gait of a cat, and even in a multicolored, plummed bird-- 
the kind that when in front of the town-priest 
blurts out truths about him and his bar buddies. 
(I'm looking at you, Father Kothi) 

As a baby, I was plump, pretty, and moon-faced 
but tell me, isn't that how babies should be? 
whatever the rush was to name me 
based on charm and my good looks alone 
when Susannah would have serviced me more 

So my first name I keep hidden on purpose 
and use my middle name--Selma--instead 
only now when I google me to get perspective 
I find they've placed me with Rev. Martin Luther King 
and tagged Alabama to the end of my name. 

If you've made the trip to my website, 
or read down to the end of one blog, 
you'd have seen that indeed, I like me as Selma 
for to be Selma frees me from thinking me vain, 
-- Selma means far more than that.

To be Selma means to be courageous 
and courageous I happen to be 
seeking out penpals 
and writing buddies 
and, like Mr. Rogers, 
asking, 
"Won't you be mine?" 

I'm
Selma
a reader,
writer, learner
miracle zealot
avid enthusiast
and oh, so ordinary.
I'd have done well as Susanna
or Diana, or even Roxanne
Billie Jean or Elvira or Mary
as long as I'm my writing persona,
a pen in my hand complimented
Selma is who I'll be to you
a euphoric resonance
of peaceful and complete
I like to think of
as me having
befitting 
only
me

As Susannah,
with a banjo or no banjo
they'd have sung me nonstop till the weather was bone dry 
and everyone but me was frozen over from the hot sun 
but now that you've been informed of my true colors, 
you may take my name, Selma, to Havana. 

***
© 2021 selmamartin.com

Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay 

#NaPoWriMo #Day14
The (optional) prompt for Wednesday, April 14th:

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.”

I hope that after viewing what Mark Wunderlich did in his poem, you can relate to some of what I added to mine. What a fun prompt this was, and whether I like it or not, you can probably guess my age from the song references I make in my piece. All in all, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading, and I wish you miracles.

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Selma Martin

I’m a simple woman who dares to see the beauty in ordinary. I’d love to connect with you and like pen pals, I want something beautiful to blossom between us. Will you join me? Selma is my middle name. Its meaning—peaceful, complete, are euphoric affirmations I like to think of myself as having. They compliment the joy I feel when I write. I sincerely hope you decide to join me on my writing journey. I Wish You Miracles.

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