Deadname

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noun

          1. The birth name of someone who has since changed their name (especially a transgender person).

        synonyms:

                  My great grandmother’s name on

                  the unknowing tongues of strangers.

                  The careful gift given to me

                  by my mother

                  her mother

                  her mother’s mother at birth.

                  My great grandmother’s body

                  laid alongside the girl

                  i used to be in our

                  grave, hands clasped.

verb

          1. To refer to someone who has changed their name by their previous name.

          synonyms:

                  My names are a dissonant

                  harmony in our family lexicon.

                  A question poised but unspoken

                  stuck between

                  our teeth

                  sip wine and smile more.

                  My names are rebirth,

                  a scorched earth path

                  carved through an inherited home i

                  never lived in.