Naming It by Cynthia Bryant (All About My Name Poetry Series)

Naming It
by Cynthia Bryant

At two days into this life given my slave name
Cynthia Lane Jones
Named after the mongrel pup Duchess of Cindy Lane
That trespassed an airfield of pilot instructors
Taking refuge in their hangar

Cindy formalized to Cynthia for legitimacy
Added Mister and Mistress surname Jones
Cynthia meaning moon personified
Sold to Jones who paid $10,000

Name jumped twice to gain freedom
First into the fire, second onto the ice
The third try a warm breeze
A sensory allure hypnotic soul savior

Bryant a Celtic name meaning strong
Strength to hold on gently
Love passionately

Bryant having attained perfection
Shall be retired with the lives
Of our progeny

PHOTOGRAPH: Cynthia Bryant.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: My life has always been “stranger than fiction,” another “As the Stomach Turns.” Somewhere along the road, I found a sense of humor — that along with writing poetry has seen her through.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cynthia Bryant’s poetry ranges from world news, to poignant pieces closer to her heart: love, family, incest, and injustice. Cynthia has been invited to read her poetry throughout California in diverse venues including coffee shops, fairs, art galleries, schools, battered women’s shelters, and a federal prison. First published in 1997 by two important journals dealing with childhood sexual abuse, Cynthia has since been published in over 30 anthologies. Her books Sojourn, Pebbles in the Shoe, and No Time to Shoot the Poets were accepted into the Ina Coolbrith Circle section in Sacramento State Library’s Special Collections Reading Room.