to Jane L. Falk
It may not surprise you that in tribal
communities like Lynn MA (fund. 1629 CE) disparaging familiarity is extended to the returnee because everyone assumes that nobody
ever visits Lynn except failed returnees - who are immediately surreptitiously asked: "What are you doing here?" (presumably defeated
by life, forced back home to live in failure.)
Lynners (living in Lynn, or migrated elsewhere), always call me Billy because my father Bill, Sr. was very well known when I was growing up (1942-63.) He probably still is, no matter what I've
done since, or ever will do. As Billy, I'm conditionally welcome as his long emigrated son; but while I'm away, Lynners probably say: 'What ever happened to Billy Costley? I heard he's a poet somewhere."
Tribal Irish often will ask you if you're really Irish if your name
isn't like theirs. Costley's originally French (Costeley, in the
Auvergne), then Scottish/English, then anglocolonial - USA,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, but any truly-tribal Irishman will immediately peg it as coming from Costello, cf.
castellum bonum, = good [fortified] camp, source of city names Castille, Bonn, etc. Costley's long ago gone global, except back in Lynn.. Why, there are even Mormon Costleys!
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