Emina Udagawa

Emina Udagawa

International School Bangkok

“For most of my life, my name has been mispronounced, by teachers, peers, friends, strangers...I think the reason this frustrates me so much is because, as I mention in the poem, my parents chose it so t1pt English speakers could say it. Until recently, I considered it a problem that was personal to me, but when I researched this topic for an argumentative project for class, there were countless stories out there with people talking about their experience with feeling invisible in class, changing their names, and learning to embrace their name. Now, I try to be less self-involved and more conscious about other people's names as well. In this poem, lines like "so potent/so important*, "I want to take it from their lips and put it back in my heart' were taken from or inspired by the NPR Code Switch podcast, "Where We Come From': By Any Other Name". The insightful and lively conversation between two accomplished Nigerian-American women really spoke to me, because they discussed so many real-life issues revolving around their name mispronunciations and identity, Lines 72-74 are a haiku by Yosa no Buson (5 INM*]), considered among the greatest poets of the Japanese Edo period. I chose to include this because the first character is the character for the na in Emina. The haiku's superb

imagery was something I wanted to add to my poem, and it's something that will sound beautiful whether or not the audience understands the meaning. Although I limited this poem to my name and experience, what's yours? What does your name mean to you? Create your own poem about your name, if you wish. If your name is mispronounced or misspelled constantly, I see you. I hope this poem speaks to you.”