Her Given name | Teen Ink

Her Given name

July 30, 2023
By almogefriedman GOLD, Los Angeles, California
almogefriedman GOLD, Los Angeles, California
10 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We accept the love we think we deserve" - Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)


She was given a “unique” name,
One so unheard of in the melting pot.
A nation of culture so lacking in an acceptance of such.
Six simple letters to pronounce,
Which in America, was all too much.

She dreamt of Christmas,
Her parents’ accents were ¨comedic¨.
A girl with inept English,
Relentlessly taunted by an identity,
One too easy to distinguish.

She was given a “foreign” name
That suddenly vanished,
Replaced with letters of conformity,
Paving the way for an American guise.

A naivete merely wanting to fit in,
Partaking in the infamous American fun,
Rather became consumed by it.
A native language thus fading away,
Regretting for her parents to fathom,
That her culture had begun to decay.

She was given a “strange” name,
That utterly encapsulated who she was,
And therefore could not lessen.

Six letters she wanted so badly to hide.
She let them call her something “normal”
But it wouldn’t change who she was inside.


The author's comments:

Initially written as an essay about my American experience, I decided my words were better articulated in the form of a poem. In this piece, I look back on my younger self who was embarrassed by her given foreign name (Almoge) and tried to change herself by using an "American" nickname. As a first-generation American-born citizen, having a name so unheard of in the US shaped the way I perceived the country as well as the way I grew up. However I write this piece as an ode to every kid, foreign and not, that feels out of place for the things they cannot change.


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