Supervisors, teachers, friends mispronouncing,

my name confuses like a rubix cube;

Twisting and turning as they are announcing.

I’m reluctant to correct not to sound rude.

Amika, Umika, Umaka, no.

Amare, Ameka, not my name,

thinking, “Why teacher, you aren’t even close!”

My name is Amaka, easy and plain.

Molly Sue’s a name you can mess up.

It’s so hard to pronounce: Mol-ly Sue.

She understands my struggle not to disrupt

a teacher or substitute with folly.

My name with three syllables is confused.

Often leaving the class and myself amused.