Ah, America: Land of the Free, Home of the Brave—and, of course, country of immigrants. America's chockfull of 'em. Unless we're Native American, chances are that, at some point, our ancestors popped over here on a boat, ship, or plane. Immigration is at the center of the American experience, after all.

Marilyn Chin's "How I Got That Name" is a poem about a name. But on a deeper level it's a poem about the immigrant experience, and specifically the Chinese-American immigrant experience. In exploring how she got her American name "Marilyn," the speaker of Chin's poem—a Chinese-American woman—delves right into what it means to be an immigrant from China.

At the center of the poem is a conflict between Chinese and American culture. It's a conflict that's reflected in the speaker's two names—"Mei Ling" and "Marilyn." In trying to understand the relationship between those two names, the speaker tries to understand her relationship both to China and America. (In a word: it's complicated.)

If we dig back long enough, chances are we'll find that at some point we had a granddaddy or a great-granddaddy or a great-great-granddaddy who decided to pack up his bags and head for the golden shores of America. Or hey, maybe our parents packed us up and shuttled us with them to America not too long ago.

The immigrant experience that Marilyn Chin's poem describes is our own, in other words. Sure, we may not have been alive when our ancestors came to America. And maybe we're not Chinese-American—maybe we're Mexican-American, or Irish-American, or some crazy combination of hyphen-Americans.

The point is, no matter how long ago or how recently our family came here, and no matter where we come from, there are certain things that are universal to the experience of journeying from one place to another. Chin's poem gives us a glimpse into what it means to be an immigrant in an America. And with that, she's speaking—directly or indirectly—to nearly all of us.