Alvarez - "Dusting"

Anonymity becoming the institution of being has been a struggle for many people. No one wants to be anonymous, and no one ever should be. “Dusting” represents the cleaning away of someone’s name, someone’s self. However, this child refuses to become like their mother, anonymous. My mother has always encouraged me to be who I want to be, but this has not been the case for many friends of mine. I have refused to become anonymous while some of my friends find themselves in a constant battle to find who they want to be, or who they want to be at that time. The cleaning references in this poem also represent the idea of leaving behind your mark but having it erased makes for a chance to make a new mark. The ever changing self needs to make itself known, and by cleaning away the old self gives a chance to make way for the new self.