14. Barry Carozzi Name Poem

My name is Barry William Carozzi

My name is Barry William Carozzi

I’ve never understood exactly why
My parents gave me such a daggy name
Barry William Carozzi
And given that my father’s name was Garrie
It brought so much confusion to our home
Giving me the Christian name of Barry

With CAROZZI as a surname, why not MARIO
ARTURO, or Renaldo – Annibale
Striking Italian names to match the heritage
Of Caterina Mazza and Gianni
And my grandfather: Annibale Carozzi.

Italian as the pizza, vermicelli,
Spaghetti bolognaise, macaroni

The Irish BARRY and the English WILLIAM
[Befittingly – my mother was a KIPPING]
Tacked on to the Italian name: CAROZZI.
It was unfair, to be so badly treated
I never had a chance from the beginning

And so I stand here now – a dinkum Aussie
But labelled BARRY, WILLIAM and CAROZZI.