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Monday, April 20, 2015

My Name Is Buddah Moskowitz (and I Am Funky)

Self-abnegation
brought me to
Buddah Moskowitz.

My teenage plan
was to be a sitcom writer
when I grew up.

Growing up happened
when I realized
there were no sitcom writers
with last names resembling
Reyes or
Martinez or
Garcia or
Ramirez or
Gutierrez or
Torres or
Salas or ...
...you get the picture.

Also,
I didn't look like
anyone in
Hollywoodland,
and I didn't have
the self-confidence,
the flamboyance
to bust out as
the fat freakshow
that I was.

I wanted a name
that would confound
these prejudices
and be all my own,

Q: Why Buddah?

A: Because Judas was
already taken
and I tend to be
a non-dualistic,
non-materialist.

Q: Why Moskowitz?

A: Because even though
there is nothing but
gentile Mexicans
in my lineage,
I know my soul
is Jewish,
plus
I think it looks
very cool.

So, when you see the name
Buddah Moskowitz
do you picture
an overweight 52 year old
Mexican American?

Neither do I,

and I like it
that way.

19 comments:

  1. Hahaha! I loved you good humoured take on life in this unique naming ceremony.

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  2. Ha.. what a wonderful way to present your pen name... it really would make it funny to chose your own pen-name.

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  3. A gentile Mexican with a Buddhist Jewish name - what could be better? This is full of humor and mostly self acceptance. I enjoyed reading this.

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  4. I love this. And I do believe I would love you and your amazing work under any name. :)

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  5. Anonymous12:19 PM

    Perfect. Fine by me.

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  6. This is wonderful :D

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  7. Your poem made me smile :D Wear your name with pride! I love it!!

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  8. Nope I don't and happy is in the name of the beholder. :)

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  9. oh yes today prompt provided quite a harvest of wit, you made me smile. thats one stunning end line also

    thanks for dropping by to read mine

    much love...

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  10. interesting....there is much in a name...both those we are born to, those others give us and those we give ourselves....I'm not sure what I thought...or that I thought...simply listened to the voice behind the name.

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  11. No,I didn't see the Mexican. The profile pic clued me in to the overweight (welcome to the club!) but I imagine it's exaggerated. But what I really see is the words, both in poems and comments, and therefore the sweet, wise soul behind them. I confess, I had a vague idea of you as rather older than 52 — because it often takes longer to grow such souls as yours.

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  12. Super funny and your honesty is terrific and captivating. Thanks. K. Manicddaily

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  13. I do now. :o) I think we should write a sit-com together. I always wanted to do that too, I think it came from watching the Dick Van Dyke show back when I was a kid.

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  14. This is certainly as good a list of reasons as any for adopting a cool handle.

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  15. It is like a contradiction that balances out any stereotype. Like Whoopie Goldberg! I like the whimsy here.

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  16. man, this is great ~

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  17. A rose by any other name... this was a wonderful read filled, with so much more than a moniker.

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