#napowrimo #poetry
And here’s today’s prompt (optional, as always). In her poem, “Names and Nicknames,” Monika Kumar reminisces over various nicknames she has been given, the actual name her mother gave her, and the way both names and nicknames indicate a claim and an intimacy at once. In your poem for today, we challenge you to write your own poem in which you muse on your name and nicknames you’ve been given or, if you like, the name and nicknames for an animal, plant, or place. For example, I’ve always been amused at the fact that red trillium (a rather pretty wildflower that grows in the woods near my house) has several other common names, including the bizarre “stinking benjamin.” The plant grows very short and close to the ground, so I’ve never actually leaned over far enough to get a whiff and see how merited sobriquet is!
Happy writing!
NAMES AND NICKNAMES
Carolyn was settled upon, a compromise
As my Dad wanted Caroline after his
grandmother and Mum wanted a name
that was unique to me, so I became
Carolyn. When my younger sister began
to learn to talk, she called me – Caya.
Carolyn/Caroline became interchangeable as I grew up, but don't get me started on my Maiden name!
It was Nelson, and kids stuck an arm in their jacket and a hand over their eye
in imitation of Admiral Horatio Nelson.
As a teenager, my friend's brother
nicknamed me 'sparrow legs,' sadly, the same name could not be used today.
I think back fondly to those far-off days
of slimness and wearing a size 12 dress.
Now my legs are more elephantine!
When I married and became a Crossley,
I was glad to be relieved of my Maiden
name of Nelson. I liked Crossley, in
nearby Yorkshire, the Crossleys were famous for their carpets. One little boy
asked if Crossley meant that I was cross!
When I first became a performance poet I took the nom de plume, Carolina de la Cruz. Having just returned from Spain
it was a rough translation of my name.
I added the tag-line, Vixen of Verse, which has survived twenty-five years.
Nowadays, I have gone back to my
legal name, Carolyn Crossley although
I have toyed with going back to my
Maiden name or makng it double-
barrelled. Meanwhile my neighbours
children gave me the nickname, Caro!
©🦊VixenOfVerse, 2026
Juliet)
VIXEN of VERSE 