A name is a bracelet, a string of letters we wear
around our wrist to accent who we are. How strange
a society that we label ourselves with sounds. Even
more baffling, we do not choose our own
label, our parents do before they even have a glimpse
of who we are or who we will be. This glass tradition
does not sit well with me, so I am going to throw it up against
the wall and shatter it. On my next birthday I will become Annie: a
symbol of independence. Ever since she got her gun and sang
about tomorrow, I knew AN-nee was the sound
that belonged to me. The string of my bracelet is peace, safety,
and security. The beads are intellectual, appreciative, distant,
expressive, complex, auburn, infinite, gentle, selfish, timeless, quite
beautiful, repetitive, merciful, classic, and blessed with grace.
I am an independent woman, and I have the right
to wear whatever bracelet I choose.