Epic Becoming Notes

by Leah Fallon

be•come
Pronunciation: bi-'k&m
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): be•came /-'kAm/; -come; -com•ing
intransitive senses
1 a : to come into existence b : to come to be
2 : to undergo change or development
transitive senses : to suit or be suitable to
- become of : to happen to

Book I: Prelude/Invocation

Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of she with many faces: stranger to familiar eyes,
stranger to the mirror. A woman of guise,
disguised on a quest across an unknown horizon,
a quest to sail rough waters and return to old shores
with new eyes.

Book II: A/broad

It takes patience.

First, a name, an accent and a pair of shoes. That’s all it takes to define a character. Sarah – a princess – in three-inch heels with a Southern drawl is not Sarah in sandals with a Midwestern twang. Alexander in shining wingtips with Slavic undertones, different than Alex in Converse All Stars, dropping his G’s. It’s a difficult question, each day upon waking, who will I be when I leave the house? What will I sound like?

This particular day, the pristine new passport chose for me. Today, I am Sheridan Pierce. With a name like that, it’s a toss up – Charleston or Boston. Boston. More respectable and easier to maintain. Sheridan’s shoes are black leather and he subtly drops his R’s. His hair is kept neat, that’s easy enough, and he wears a hat.

Frankly, it’s a path of least resistance: a classic, a stereotype. Too many other things to consider. Double-checking the suitcase. Calling the movers. Taking everything to storage. Closing the bank account. Erasure takes more patience than acting.

Today, I am erased. Every record of my current life has been closed. I have a plane ticket and a bag and a final appointment to keep in exactly one week. That’s the last name I haven’t chosen. I can’t get to that one detail, the final question: who will I be when I come home?