My name is my place in the world,
without it I am a woman without a history,
only part-human, the part with red blood.
When they denied my name,
they felt justified in depriving me of
the necessities of life, and life itself.
You historians must tell my story,
the victors must listen to it,
and recognize humanity in eyes
that saw what crimes they did
in the name of justice.
Author notes
"The history of the world is but the biography of great men." Frederick the Great
"History is herstory, too." Author Unknown
One of the images of Auschwitz is the tattooed numbers which were used instead of names. Individuality is our most human trait, never to be denied.
A contest entry
- # 171 For Winklings and all AP friends: One of 2 issues! by Lyndon.
1750 points, ended April 21, 13 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Thank you for reading.
Comments
1 - 8 of 8
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Not bad ...
and it reminds me, somewhat, of the lines from History boys. The female professor tells her students that it's discouraging sometimes to teach 5 centuries of the inadequacies and ineptitudes of men. (Meaning, of course, that men determine history since they are the ones who are the principal movers and shakers.)
Anyway, I got a chuckle out of Ron's point about Harris and Wiseman: Harrassedmen struck me really funny.
I believe, as I have always believed, that if more women held positions of responsibility in our governments, there would be less warfare and less social upheavals. I realize that Margaret Thatcher seems to prove that point wrong, but I believe her to be an anomaly, the exception which proves the rule, so to speak.
Anyway, kudos on making a salient point and making it well.
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What to do for family names?
We cannot keep hyphenating through the generations. My wife was Harris and I am Wiseman.
Should our children be Harrassedmen?
Yet your point is valid. The real point, I mean.
Great women are known but that list is the tip of the iceberg, I should imagine. Jane Austen has a lot to answer for unless we treat her as a mirror for an age.
Your verse is a little prosaic but still remains dignified. 
Thank you poet for your input.
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Powerful, assertive. You come out with an altogether different tone here. Like Emily Dickenson suddenly speaking up like Walt Whitman!!!
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A potent reminder
of what we take for granted,
our identity, our individuality.
Strong words from a strong woman, Margaret!
M-C
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This brings pensiveness and consideration to those who shine light in the world, including our personal purposes. I read the Biblical definition of "name" once; to be named means to be called into identity. It carries a voice that echoes forever, and I think of Jesus' humanity, how much he influenced the world in his earthly sojourn, how often it tried to obliterate his testimony to life, his name, his being--and still does.
Names are myriad, but so are the facets of being. We ARE written in them.
Beautiful write, Margaret!
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Powerful!
This poem speaks for all women in ways that apply over Time and Place. We still see in the News and read painful accounts of hardship known worldwide by women where they are treated as chattel without even the basic human rights we take for granted.
Best wishes in this contest!
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Really good write and so true. I wish you the best in this contest. Thanks also for reading my work.
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Your words, bold in its announcement ...
and stark in serious undertones, bring to the forth that important facet of life on earth: the name. We were given the privilege to name not only ourselves, but all of creation, places and also names of days, weeks, months and years ... yes all things big and small were named to fit in our orderly reign ... and recordings. We have no problem with those. It is the missing names, the wiped out names that we are yearning to know of. It is the silent history of the dead; the unborn and the muted we feel within our blood and veins ...
Thank you for this important write. Good luck in the contest!
Love
Myra
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