We've had a project at school for the start of term regarding our names being special. It's part our anti-racist curriculum. One thing that can happen with names, especially with unfamiliar names is that they can get mispronounced or shortened for ease but maybe not respecting someone's wish to have their name pronounced as it they'd like.
As part of that, the children have been reading special books about names and doing writing based on this as well as producing a phonetic register.
I decided to write a poem on the subject.
As someone whose names are often mispronounced, it's a nice message of respect.
Since it is National Poetry Day today, I thought I'd share it here :
My name is
My name is at the heart of me
My title, label, caption, ID,
My name is special, precious, a gift,
It is what makes me free.
My name is music, unique to me,
It’s my motif, rhythm, riff, melody,
My name is special, precious, a gift,
Please recognise my identity.
My name is art, it’s my imagery,
It’s my tag, portrait, logo, scenery,
My name is special, precious, a gift,
Please remember it, don’t treat with mockery.
My name is my dance, it’s my choreography,
It’s my groove, move, sequence, motion, fluid-free,
My name is special, precious, a gift,
Cherish it and dance it gracefully.
My name is my written and spoken story,
It’s my book, my tale, my poetry.
My name is special, precious, a gift,
Let my narrative be told properly!
