naming the world
is our daily task
temporary and forever new
challenging and ambiguous
like the name of the rose
only few names last
most are forgotten
the young ones usually
do not understand
a rose is a rose is a rose
names can move masses
Oedipus Napoleon ****** Ghandi
Jesus Stalin Mohammed Rockefeller
or just a few
or one or two
names are what
remains of us
aids to some fleeting thoughts
in the dear memories of friends
imprinted on official pages
and electronic discs
strange signs for future generations
to name
against the flow of time
what we see hear feel taste smell and do
our dreams and visions and desires
the thoughts we have and those
we do not dare to think
and to name those we love and hate
fills our lives
the rose is
* * *
Mar 18, 2015
Mar 18, 2015 at 10:15 AM UTC
naming the world
is our daily task
temporary and forever new
challenging and ambiguous
like the name of the rose
only few names last
most are forgotten
the young ones usually
do not understand
a rose is a rose is a rose
names can move masses
Oedipus Napoleon ****** Ghandi
Jesus Stalin Mohammed Rockefeller
or just a few
or one or two
names are what
remains of us
aids to some fleeting thoughts
in the dear memories of friends
imprinted on official pages
and electronic discs
strange signs for future generations
to name
against the flow of time
what we see hear feel taste smell and do
our dreams and visions and desires
the thoughts we have and those
we do not dare to think
and to name those we love and hate
fills our lives
the rose is
* * *
"a rose is a rose is a rose" is a famous one-line poem by the U.S. avantgarde author Gertrude Stein in the 1920s.
