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Rhymes & Reasons

Category: General / Topics: Language, Meaning

My Big Fat Greek Name

by Greg Asimakoupoulos

Posted: August 16, 2009

There's more to it than meets the eye…

"It must be Greek!" I hear it said
when I pronounce my name.
"It is indeed!" I say with pride.
"Like the Olympic flame!"

A fourteen letter curtain call
all lined up in a row.
Somebody bought too many vowels
from Vanna long ago.

But Wheel of Fortune jokes aside,
I love my Grecian name.
It calls to mind my loving clan
when life can leave me drained.

I say it slowly and it helps.
Awesome-ah-COPE-ah-less.
This awesome mantra helps me cope
with major stress (or less).

My neighbors are the Crowes and Bones,
the Beattys and the Browns.
In short I claim a treasured gift;
the longest name in town.

But did you know the following?
I used to be a Smith.
My Papou took an alias.
It's true! That's not a myth.

Haralambos chose Harry K.
to be his new first name.
And Smith instead of Asima...
Good grief. Had he no shame?

But gratefully that all got fixed.
In Nineteen-sixty-nine
a judge's gavel gave us back
the name that now is mine.

* on August 13, 1969 the Edwin Smith Family of Wenatchee, Washington became the Edwin Asimakoupoulos Family. This week marks the 40th anniversary of a change of name that literally changed my life. And now you know "the rest of the story."

Check out http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090813/NEIGHBORS/708139948



Search all articles by Greg Asimakoupoulos

Greg Asimakoupoulos (pronounced AWESOME-uh-COPE-uh-less) is an ordained minister, published author and chaplain to a retirement community in the Pacfic Northwest. Greg maintains a blog called Rhymes and Reasons, which he graciously provides to SeniorLifestyle.

Greg's writings have now been assembled in book form. See the SeniorLifestyle Store.

E-mail the author (moc.loa@veRemosewA*) Author's website (personal or primary**)

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Posted: August 16, 2009   Accessed 101 times

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