I swear I have no memory of writing this prompt on the index card: “Tell us your name, your real name and all the names that were never truly yours” But it sure was fun to spin out. Each one of those names is a poem, a story. As for which ones were real and which ones were never truly mine, I claim them all. I answer to all of them.

Lucille: The name my parents’ friends gave me in utero when they were trying thinking of another of a girl name starting with L because all my sisters’ names started with L
Lindsey: My given name and chosen by my parents when they met a British family who named their daughter Lindsay.
Lindsey Cummings (Down The) Lane: A way for me to remember my full name when I was five.
Lindsey, -ey: Said to distinguish from Lindsay, -ay
Linsey-woolsey: The name Mr. Lamb called me when I went into his store to buy Bazooka bubble gum and fire balls. In case you’re wondering, it is a coarse, sturdy fabric
Lindsley: A mispronunciation
Lindy: Another mispronunciation
Jill: A name I chose for a while because it was a movie star’s name and no movie stars were named Lindsey
LC Lane: Because LC sounded like Elsie
Lane: A school name that didn’t stick because of the aforementioned sisters.
Linseed Oil: The school name that stuck
Lulu: The name I give on to go orders to avoid mispronunciations. It’s shorter to write and it’s fun to say.
Lindsey Lou: Used by a dear friend in Georgia, always with a giggle.
LindseyLouWho: Discovered and used after meeting CindyLouWho in THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS
Lindsey Acosta Lane: The briefly married name
Mommmmmm: usually expressed in text when my daughter can’t reach me
Momma: The way she spells when writing me a note
L2: The name I use to shorten my signature in the digital world
Linds’: Usually used in the most tender form of address.