![]() | vinsensiakangen: JENNY TEH kalo baca ini, langsung retweet. I can't spell your twitter name well. @ainorokie or @ainorookie there's somthing I'll tell you. about 53 seconds ago |
![]() | Rareitee: @djloki59 big black coke huh? Did Jennifer name it? Or u? about 16 minutes ago |
![]() | bodiecruz: HELP! All About Steve, Law Abiding Citizen or Jennifer's Body? about 28 minutes ago |
![]() | warmth: I don't know what movie is worst District 9 or Jennifer's Body! about 30 minutes ago |
![]() | carloslaron: I will write a song today or better yet, a poem. about 35 minutes ago |
| By Molly Snyder Edler OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Molly Snyder Edler |
| Published April 17, 2008 at 9:47 a.m. |
|
Thanks to Bobby Tanzilo's blog this morning, I now know it's National Poem In Your Pocket Day. I am a big fan of the poem, in fact, it was one of my majors in college, so here's one that I wrote.
It's called "The Jenny Conspiracy," and anyone who grew up in the '70s and / or '80s knows at least one -- possibly six -- girls named Jenny or Jen or Jennifer. Personally, my grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, high school best friend, Cabbage Patch Doll and college roommate are all named Jenny, which drove me to write this poem.
The Jenny Conspiracy
Before Watergate,
a weird thing was under way.
Millions of moms
named their munchkins
the same moniker:
Jenny,
short for Jennifer.
A curious spelling, really,
with the "f" instead of the "ph"
as in Christopher and Stephanie,
also popular names of the day.
I, a Molly,
was jealous of the Jennys,
who were always able
to find a little plastic license plate
or a rubber stamp
with their name embossed.
Classrooms were crammed
with jumbles of Jennies:
Jenny S., Jenny A., Jenny M., Jenny E.
They joined forces,
started their own societies-
sub cultures of super-cool schoolgirls.
While girls called Blair and Sunshine Rose
pined for a normal name,
the Jennys secretly dreamed
of being different.
In a desperate attempt to differentiate
they started twisting the spelling:
"J-e-n-i," "G-e-n-n-y," one girl
even added a silent b: "J-e-n-n-y-(silent) b."
Then, suddenly they blossomed
into these new creatures
who only answered to "Jen."
Jen was the girl with
the new wave tapes and the cigarettes
and Judy Blume's "Forever"
stuffed in her Army knapsack.
If you accidentally called her "Jenny"
she firmly reminded
it was "Jen." And then,
just when you got it down and
finally remembered,
she changed to "Jennifer."
OK, this girl you knew since first grade
is no longer Jenny, not Jen,
but Jennifer,
and you say "Jennifer" over and over again
until it isn't a name anymore,
rather a strange slur of sounds
that remind you of a bear skin rug,
a mink stole, a muff.
Later, when you move in with Jennifer,
the two of you slink to a Saturday night soirée
and drink skunky beer from a keg.
"Jennifer" you say, once back
at your bean bag and baked potato abode,
"Let's make a pizza." And she
looks at you, softly, and says in a tone you
hadn't heard since the sleepover
where she asked you to be her best friend,
"I want you to call me Jenny. You,
but no one else."
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6 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Posted by Katphish33 on April 18, 2008 at 7:33 a.m. (report)
You should listen to the Mike Doughty song "27 Jennifers". Your poem reminds me of it :) http://www.mikedoughty.com/music/lyrics/96
| Rate this: |
Posted by c.grace on April 17, 2008 at 10:27 p.m. (report)
So true! This was my life! I always wondered WHY my parents couldn't have been more creative. But they said they "loved" the name - it was so beautiful. Apparently 50 cajillion other parents had the same thought. I was Jenny. Then Jen. Only Jennifer to people to whom I owed money or with whom I was in trouble. And then..... I changed it complete! Legally! My name is entirely different now.... and I have to say I was not sad to see the other one go..... Very fun poem - thanks!
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Posted by jeloyo on April 17, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. (report)
I can totally relate to the poem. I used to be Jenny. Then I was Jennie. Then Jenni. Then Jeni. Then Jen. Then Jenn (yes, with two n's). Now, I'm Jennifer at work. Jenn with my friends. And, if you're a CLOSE friend, you can call me Niffer.
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Posted by brunocarlson on April 17, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. (report)
Wow, so true! I grew up in the same era and looking back that was my school days as well. Right down to not being able to fund personalized pencils with my name. Great poem. Very funny/
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Posted by laurafern11 on April 17, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. (report)
This is great. As a kid I knew more than a few Jennys, one Jennie, even a Jenica. One of the Jennys became Jen, and now I know a Jenni.
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