Poem: What's in a Name?

Jan 01, 2024 by Bethel Swift, in Poetry

What's in a Name?

Even pronouncing my name,
explaining how I came to own it,
is a struggle, a grappling, a fight
with faith, or grace, or guilt --
and often I know not which.

But this ladder I must climb,
every night in my dreams
to defend myself against fear;
to find myself; to be here
at home - in hell or in heaven.