72 Middle Names

I've got 72 middle names.
I'm really not sure why.
My first name is Ricardo
and my last name is McFly.

But sandwiched in between
are the names of all the kin
that my family argued over
when the doctors brought me in.

Mom wanted to name me
Ferris McBunkle,
after my tap dancin',
shoe shinin' uncle.

Dad wanted to name me
Rupert Pershmuzzen,
after my pie bakin',
sty rakin' cousin.

Sis thought my name should be
Curtis Parood,
after my grandpa
who skis in the nude.

My brother said call me
Alberto McGee,
after some walrus
he saw on TV.

My whole family fought
for 17 days,
saying my name
seventeen hundred ways,

Till finally they just
gave it up with a sigh
and decided the fighting
should end in a tie.

So 72 middle names
are what I've got;
picked by everyone I know,
including my dog, Spot.

And it's actually an honor
to be so many decendants.
But it makes my teachers crazy
when it's time to take attendance!


(C) 1998, Arden Davidson