I Wish They'd Named Me...

I Wish They’d Named Me…

I wish they’d named me Victoria.
If I were Victoria I would
look calm and elegant by candlelight
and dress in lace and velvet
and glare if someone called me Vicky.

I wish they’d named me Sasha
If I were Sasha, I would
play guitar by a fireplace
and raise fine stallions
and live by the sea.

I wish they’d named me Martha.
If I were Martha, I would
bake bread and can pickles
and braid my long hair
and birth babies at home.

And yet they named me Bonnie.
The name fits me… strangely
and when I lie dying
it won’t fit at all.

Bonnie Marshall