What's In A Name Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Stephen King, whose pseudonym was Bachmann, declared Bachmann was dead of ‘cancer of the pseudonym, a rare form of schizonomia'

Pen names,stage names. pseudonyms, and wedded names
Aliases, sobriquets,and short nicknames
Jekyll and Hydes of all sorts ofGames

William Makepiece Thackerey bred noms de plumes like rabbits:
Chas. Yellowplush, Key Solomons, & Folkstone Canterbury
Michael Angelo Titmarsh, George Savage Fitzboodle
Launcelot Wagstaffe, he could stuff a library

Maurice Joseph Micklewhite turned into Michael Caine
Farrokh Bulsara was Freddie Mercury
Frances Ethel Gummwas famed as Judy Garland
Cherilyn (Cher) , a huge personality

Stevland H. Judkinswasredubbed Stevie Wonder
Robert Zimmerman re-emerged as Bob Dylan
Barry Pincus started life as Barry Manilow
Ilynea Lydia Mironoffis now Helen Mirren

Bronte Sisters, Currer, Acton, Ellis Bell
Reginald Dwight became Elton H. John
Georgios Panayiotou turned into George Michael
Charles Dickens /Boz, a real phenomenon

J.K.Rowling has several alter egos
Kennilworthy Whisp, and Robert Galbraith
Newt Scamander, who knows how many others!
Hugh McDiarmid once was C.M.Grieve

Diedrich Knickerbocker changed to Washington Irving
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was called Lewis Carroll
James Leslie Mitchell renamed Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Theoder Giesel / Dr Seuss joined the famous roll

Mark Twain ditched the name of SamuelLanghome Clemens
Saki's moniker wasHector Hugh Munro
Agatha Christie shrugged off Mary Westmacott
Pablo Nerudastepped out of R. Basoalto

Benjamin Franklin wrote asPolly Baker,
Richard Saunders, Silence Dogood,
Anthony Afterwit, Alice Addertongue
Think of Cassius Clay/Ali, of the boxing brotherhood

Lady GaGa /Stefani Germanotta
Marilyn Munro / Norma Mortenson
Cary Grant was christened Archibald Leach
Audrey Hepburn was also Edda Ruston

Jonathan Swift was Isaac Bickerstaff Esquire
Marion Robert Morrison became John Wayne
Leon Trotsky was Lev Davidovich Bronshtein
But after all is said and done, what's in a name?