The Book of Names.

It's not the first list of names I've kept, but the first one in such a tiny book I keep on me almost all the time. I never know when I'll read or hear a new name I'll be compelled to write down. Or those moments when a name comes from the ether of my mind.

"LaVarjek, Evonka LaVarjek." Even my mind says it with a mixed accent... is it Eastern European or something else?

"Ar'emen" pronounced like the initials R-M-N, which is exactly where the name originates, not from any specific cultural region, but people always ask. Perhaps one of the many reasons I'm fascinated by names. Why I'm compelled to write certain ones down, "Thawnolan, Xuan Jen, Zoila, Kentario, Ayanna, and Beaumont/Bomont" to name a few. Some come from stories I read, watch or listen to; others are actually people I've spoken and interacted with.

Why these names?

I don't always know for sure, though often I think it has to do with how the name feels in my mouth. The impact of character it echoes through the muscles of my tongue. Take Thawnolan for example, a soft start like a sliding curl that clamps down, opens into a small roll to a plateau and clamps again. For such a yawning start, the end of the name feels like a recoil, making me want to say it again.

Somewhat contrasting to Thawnolan is Kentario, which starts out hard, short and to a point, only then does it roll out with a high note, concluding with an open invitation. I feel compelled to sing this name, to the tune of "Oh-we-oh, Kentario, Oh-we-oh, Kentario." I did sing it, for the guy I learned the name from, though he went by "Rio," because he admitted most people found his name hard to say.

I didn't and I'm continually inspired by names, so I'll keep writing them down, in the tiny composition book of names.

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