My Name Is (Poem) by Marek Desai, age 11

From Skipping Stones
July-August 2026

My Name Is...

My name is Marek and I am in fifth grade.
My name is Marek and I am Czech,
With Czech grandparents and a Czech class grade,
With Czech relatives who I know by name.

My name is Marek and I am Nepali. 

I love the momos our family friends make, 

The curries, the meats, the vegetables with rice. 

My name is Marek and I am Indian. 

The poojas, the colors, the dosas are great. 

My name is Marek and I am American, 

I like high fives and ten-lane freeways. 

My name is Marek and when you look at me, 

You might not see much of the cultures that are mixed. 

But when I start talking, what’s hidden comes out. 

Then you can see who really is ‘me.’ 

So when I watch other people, I like to think: 

‘Who really are these people all the way in?’ 

What cultures, interests, and ideas do they keep within? 

I like to find out, to ask them and see, 

And that way they can also learn about me. 

—Marek Desai, age 11, grade 5, California