Namesake

I signed the paper until my hand went numb.

The ink on my finger is a dark, blue thumb.

My middle name is a heavy, old debt.

A man I never actually met.

My mother said on the phone tonight

that the stories weren't exactly right.

He didn't love the storms or the gray.

He just couldn't find a way...

away from the rain.

The pen leaked a bruise on my skin.

I’m wearing a name I didn't win.

It feels like a coat that’s a size too small.

I’m just standing here in the hall.