13 Comments
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Willem Alberts's avatar

i’ve never read anything so good and raw and Isabelle (in all accounts)

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Ashley's avatar

This was so incredibly beautiful ❤️

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Cos Telow's avatar

During my life I've had so many different nicknames, but subconsciously it felt as if I was always searching for the right one, the right name to call me. As if this name would somehow fit my personality so well that it would like the title of a poem. Emily Dickinson could be named nothing else but Emily. When one day, a guy misheard my name and called me Cos I was so ecstatic I thought I should marry him. (I didn't) But names are so important. I've been looking for the right penname for so long now too, and I know one day I'll find it, I just hope it will come soon enough and it will feel exactly like what you're describing.

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Mark Reep's avatar

Thank you for this.

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Marnix Keller's avatar

That was really beautiful, Isabelle. I didn’t look up from the page once… thank you for sharing it here.

I write from my heart, about my experiences, but I heard a story recently that moved me deeply and really touched me. I almost feel a need to write about it, but I’m torn too.. it’s not mine.

I wrote a quite recently, in one of my posts… just on a side note…

I wanted to rewrite the ending.

To return to the page

where her name first appeared.

But the ink had faded.

And it was no longer my story to tell.

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Bijan's avatar

a freedom she must have longer for 🙌🏽🔥

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chelsea bird's avatar

So grateful for and inspired by the both of you. 🩵

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Emily Wallace's avatar

Not betrayed. Enlightened. And grateful that you share regardless of the signature. <3

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HEW(Hue) of Poetry's avatar

I relate to this because I *loathed* my name growing up(I'm the II/Second, NOT Junior lol) because I wanted my own unique name. It feels like my own now partially because my dad passed in 2010 and I've never met another person(in real life) with my name other than my pop.

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Willem Alberts's avatar

Your name is babygirl wdym?

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Sabian Raine's avatar

As someone who also writes under a pen name, I really appreciate you sharing the story of your name.

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Nymphish's avatar

I actually love this because oddly enough, my birth name is Isabelle and I’ve never used it for anything ever in my life, but I agree it’s such a beautiful name! Names definitely choose us for different reasons and we really have to listen to that call and devote ourselves to it.

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Reem Kabbarah's avatar

That’s beautiful, liberating and honest.

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