Welcome to a series of eight weekly poems on the theme ‘change of identity’.Our guest editor Degna Stone has this to say about David’s poem: The idea of shifting identity is depicted through responses to life’s changes by subtly changing a given name. There’s a beautiful moment of tenderness toward the end of the poem that shows a deep connection to personal heritage too.
UNDER HIS BREATH
Italian blood Wales born
It read Davide
On my birth certificate,
But most of the time
I was David,
That’s how it was
In those days.
At school
And with friends,
My name was Dai,
A South Walian
Popular version,
Down to earth
Fitted in.
Uni in Liverpool,
Dave took over,
1970s,
Long hair,
Baggy trousers,
One of the lads
‘No Davids here mate’
But David returned
For the world
Of office work
And long career,
Suited London,
Blended nicely.
Back in Wales
An old man
Once called me
Dafydd,
An ancient variant,
I was flattered
But it didn’t fit.
To mum I’m still
David, but to Dad
Seven years passed,
I was sometimes Davide
Under his breath
David Subacchi lives in Wales (UK) where he was born of Italian roots. He studied at the University of Liverpool. He has four published collections of his English Language poetry and one in Welsh. He has also begun to write in Italian. You can find out more about David at https://www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/davidsubacchi
Celebrating Change 