Feb 23
Pam(ela)
Mostly it’s just Pam
one syllable
beginning with a puff of air
ending with a hum
It has been Pamela
on important papers in my life
birth, baptism, marriage,
driver’s license, tax statements
Only a handful
have ever called out
Pammie
it feels like something from the past
My father wrote to
Pammie
while he did tours of duty
in Viet Nam
A friend
recently deceased
also called me Pammie
I can hear her say it in my mind
I have wanted to change it
maybe to Kristine
but the change never
had the chance to stick
So I will remain Pam
short and to the point
beginning with a kiss of air
ending with a hum of song
Pamela Olson, 2/23/08
This poem was written as a response to a prompt from Poem, a virtual poetry group.
6 Comments so far
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Love the puff and kiss of air and the hum! Also, your acceptance of your name reminds me of me coming to terms with Linda, finally. Nicely done!
I enjoyed this poem, and relate to it as a Deb(by)(orah).
Came here via Poets Who Blog and am very impressed by your work here.
i also love the puff and hum. great way to use the sound of a name, not just its meaning! welcome to “poem”
That’s clever. It’s strange how our names kind of change and then change back or don’t change or whatever.
I like this poem – she’s charming – wonderful how you
add in the people in your life and how they called your name,
the difference this made to your life.
I like this! I particularly like that “puff of air” as a description for the “P” – something my choir director would love for us to do better!
I’m here from Poets Who Blog.