An Open Letter To Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon, you have my thanks for life. Not because you were a teenage heart-throb. Not because you permanently affected my views on beauty school.
Because you named me.
Because of you, my name is not Sunshine. I do not wish to denegrate other Sunshines in this world; Sunshine simply is not *my* name.
Instead, because of your song “Venus”, I have the name of a goddess. I have the name of a planet, of a vibrating line of razors. My name rhymes with a certain piece of male anatomy. I had to break my name in over time like a baseball glove. Every “Venus Penis” or “Is your brother Uranus” adding saddle soap and suppleness, adding cracks and depth and flexibility.
Gold Star
Your song is central to who I am. I sing your song when I am afraid and sad, and also when I’m happy. I sing it to those who ask where my name came from, and those who don’t.
I love that when I go to a diner for pancakes that I will invariably hear your voice singing just to me as another customer puts a coin into the jukebox.
Because of your song, I have a name which is translatable into every language which has names for heavenly bodies. I am The Morning Star. I am The Evening Star. In China, I am The Gold Star. Retrograde planet motion? Yes, I’ve got that, too.
Thank-you Frankie Avalon. This tattoo’s for you.
This post was inspired by the
writing meme, prompt: Tattoos
I'm Not Writing A Novel 
October 14, 2011 at 8:49 pm
Cute story. Stopped by from Write on Edge.
October 14, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Thanks so much! This is my first attempt at a writing meme, I’m looking forward to many more. 🙂
October 14, 2011 at 9:03 pm
That’s a gorgeous name! I’m named Amber…but I was supposed to be Amy. My dad forgot. That’s not nearly as cool.
October 14, 2011 at 10:18 pm
That is a very cool story. I love the description of you breaking in your name like a baseball glove. Awesome imagery.
October 14, 2011 at 10:29 pm
I think Venus is a beautiful name, but your take on it made me giggle. In a good way!
October 14, 2011 at 10:32 pm
This was very well written.
But I feel for little girl who had to hear all those jokes about their name.
I know all about it.
Although at least I didn’t rhyme with male anatomy.
October 16, 2011 at 1:36 am
Venus! Yippy! I’m so excited tat you’re here!
What a fabulous piece about your name, your story, and girl? Your words are fabulous!
I love that you went with a letter format- original, poignant!
XO
October 17, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Thanks everyone for the supportive and kind feedback. 🙂 And don’t worry @KellyK, it may have been difficult being teased when I was very young, but it really became a non-issue at some point. I hate to use the cliche that sometimes hardship is character-building, but in this case I think it truly was.