Ode to My Name | Teen Ink

Ode to My Name

September 12, 2016
By CinderblockRain BRONZE, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
CinderblockRain BRONZE, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
I was so focused on putting you back together that I didn't notice that you were ripping me apart, and now my hands are cut and bloody and I'm not sure if it's from holding your broken pieces or mine.


It means Grace in Hebrew.

It’s in the bible, The name of a
Beautiful, outgoing woman.
I am not.
It is the number eight, or six.
A gentle, beautiful name
When used on the right girl.
I am not.

It becomes something different
When pictured
In different weathers.
Hannah is many different people.

On a sunny day,
It is a short,
Blonde haired girl
Who wears flower crowns
And pristine white rompers,
Kind to everyone,
Just meandering through a field of daisies.

In a tornado,
It is a black haired girl,
Wearing black leather jacket
Over a violet tank top,
With ripped up, worn out jeans,
Running toward the tornado
Instead of away.

In a city on a foggy, misty morning,
It is one of the cool kids,
Wearing blue jean shorts
And an old t-shirt,
Reflective blue metallic sunglasses,
Walking down the street with a group of friends
And a vanilla bean frappe from starbucks.

In a calm, sprinkling rain
It is a gentle kind girl,
With long dark brown hair,
Dancing in the rain quite literally,
Twirling down the middle of the cul-de-sac’s road
Wearing an oversized grey hoodie,
Black leggings,
And listening to pop-rock music
Through brand new earbuds.

In a thunderstorm
It is a caramel haired girl,
Wearing a white, off the shoulder shirt,
Blue jeans, with the legs ripped off to make shorts,
A fluffy blanket wrapped around her
Sitting on the front porch
In the dark and cold
Watching and listening to the thunder and rain
Silently admiring it’s beauty.

In the snow
It is the strong girl
Who looks weaker than she is
Wearing no jacket,
just a blood red tank top,
Black denim shorts,
and ankle high leather boots
Standing at the top of the sledding hill
Watching the other kids slide down,
Never taking one trip herself.

In a wildfire,
It is the name of the girl
Who stands at the edge,
Getting closer to the heat
than anyone would have liked,
Almost daring to touch it,
Mesmerized by the beautiful
glowing dancer.

On a cloudy, windy day,
Hannah is the girl who stands outside,
Wearing black shorts
And a jean jacket ever a vibrant blue tank top
With curly brown hair,
Standing on the edge of the road,
The wind whipping her hair to the side,
With her hands shoved in her pockets
Earbuds shoved in her ears,
Rock music playing loud enough
You could hear it standing next to her.

If you think of the name Hannah
In many different situations
She becomes something different each time.
A different personality
A different style
A different mood
All of them slightly different.
But some things stay the same.

They are all listeners,
Watchers,
Music addicts.
They’re the underdogs,
The wannabes
The mind magicians who know some tricks.

I don’t like my name.
I would like to change my name
to Ali,
Or Zoe,
Or Emily.
Maybe Navy,
Or Sakiko,
Or Aislynn.
Aislynn, a name meaning dreams.
I like that.

The name Hannah can be lots of things.
It’s not just me talking.
Like how a person can be put
Through many different situations,
The name Hannah,
when translated to enough different languages,
Eventually comes out to
Many people, One soul.


The author's comments:

I wrote this piece for a school project, but I hope that people can look at it and see that a name is not a person, does not define a person, and does not make a person. I think it might help realize that it doesn't help when you walk up to a lonely person and say "What's your name?" Because a name may be a label on a person, but is not a part of them at all. 


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This article has 3 comments.


on Sep. 23 2016 at 10:06 am
CNBono17 SILVER, Rural, South Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 248 comments

Favorite Quote:
Lego ergo sum (Latin&mdash;I read, therefore, I am)<br /> The pen is mightier than the sword&mdash;unknown<br /> Don&#039;t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity&mdash;1 Timothy 4:12

Any time:)

on Sep. 22 2016 at 9:56 pm
CinderblockRain BRONZE, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
I was so focused on putting you back together that I didn&#039;t notice that you were ripping me apart, and now my hands are cut and bloody and I&#039;m not sure if it&#039;s from holding your broken pieces or mine.

@CNBono17 Thanks! It is hard to find feedback on poetry, mostly because most people have completely different styles so it's hard to know what's right and what's wrong. (even though there is no right/wrong in writing) It's also nice to hear that my tone is "mature" or "wise" because I'm still kind of young-ish, and most of my peers are still writing about pizza or that last football game or something like you imagine a ten year old would, even though we should be three or four years past that. Either way, thanks.

on Sep. 22 2016 at 10:00 am
CNBono17 SILVER, Rural, South Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 248 comments

Favorite Quote:
Lego ergo sum (Latin&mdash;I read, therefore, I am)<br /> The pen is mightier than the sword&mdash;unknown<br /> Don&#039;t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity&mdash;1 Timothy 4:12

It's harder for me to give useful feedback on poetry than stories, since because I can't write it I usually can't find flaws in other people's. That being said, I loved this, it struck me hard. Well done:) You've a good voice, and the tone is mature, wise even. Nice work here!