I heard it said one day
That in our history
A name used to be
More than just a name

I wondered what
My name would be

But I pondered
For a very short time
For I think that I do
Know my name
Instinctively

To know my name
I merely look at
Myself
And my travels

I think that I have been given
Two great gifts
That do rule my life

One is great
And makes me whole
The other I fear
Might tear me apart

The first gift I believe I received
Was the gift of joy
In everything

For sometimes I feel
All the joy I feel
Cannot be bound
In my body

It bursts through my pours
Spills out of my mouth
Falls from my eyes

The other gift
The darker one
I believe is pain

And though I detest it
I believe that
It too is a gift

For my joy comes not
From a life of ease
Without a thought or worry
But it triumphs over the death
And despair I feel

And so my name
Though I know not the word
I believe would mean

There is great pain
And great joy
But behold
The joy triumphs the pain
And is all the more beautiful
Because of it.