Middle Name


My middle name is Mekdela
It is my chosen name
It reminds me of my homeland
Of the mountain with the same name
Of my ancestor's faces, dreams and their lives
The vast green pastures
The white dresses with colorful patterns

My first name is Elaine
It reminds me of obligations
Of boxes we were never meant to fit
A language that sounds forced and stiff
Unlike mother tongues
Of trying to be what we can't
Ivory skin
No matter how hard we try we will never quite be it
We should love ourselves instead
All we ever needed.
Hyphenated Ethiopian third culture kid. Twitter: @moonchereka

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Mekdela

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