ABOUT ME
I’m Dalton
A Prose Poem
Dalton: more than just a name, a thread woven through the tapestry of my life. Handed down by those who came before, a legacy and a lineage.
The sound of it rolls off the tongue with a rugged, earthy charm. It brings to mind open fields, honest hard work, loyalty to kin. A name that stands firm, feet planted in rich soil. One that rides easy along the Western wind, chasing adventure’s siren call.
Whispered fondly by my mama when she kissed me goodnight. Shouted fiercely by coaches to huddle the team. Spoken with pride as I crossed each milestone and milestone. Now uttered softly to my own boy, a name we share.
Dalton: the hills and valleys life has carved into my face, the callouses on my hands. It’s the blue in my eyes from my father’s side, the fightin’ spirit from ancestors past.
A name can tell a story as long as the Shenandoah River, if you trace its waters back to the source.
Dalton: now my name, given in hopes I’d grow into it, make it my own. And so I have, defined not just by letters but by the journey behind them.
The legacy continues in the generations yet to be, in names to come that I can’t yet foresee.
Author’s note
I wanted to explore the significance my own name has held throughout my life. As someone now old enough to look back over the decades, I realize how intrinsically tied my name is to my personal identity and story. I chose to take a narrative approach, recounting the voices that have spoken my name at different stages — from my mother’s affection to coaches’ rallying cries. The name “Dalton” evokes my family lineage and the generational legacy it represents. It speaks of the topography that shaped me, both literally in terms of the land I came from, and figuratively through the metaphor of life experiences etching themselves into my face and hands over time.
