Why We Use Names

Why We Use Names
© Surazeus
2017 09 19

Aiming the video camera at the grove
of rustling oak trees, Amy walks forward
and hums melody of old nursery rhyme
about the clown that stole pears from the church
where the wolf lounges in the long black cloak.

Wind swirls seven leaves in spiral of hope
so Amy films their dance while white balloon
floats over the sparkling lake where three boats
bob on rhythmic waves, but no old blind queen
emerges from green water with the Sword.

I cannot contain the whole universe
of spinning planets ripe with conscious life
in one two-hour film so I must reduce
weird complexity of fierce social games
to mythic tale of simple archetypes.

I could film random events I perceive
here and now, at this hour of endless time,
and sew them together in strange collage
of action to portray rich character
of the newest messiah to arrive.

I gather white stones from the river shore
and write with black marker on each smooth face
magic Rune designed by Odin to cast
random arrangement of letters that spell
fantastic tale of our heroic quest.

Kneeling by the stone fence of paradise,
Amy films flowers of ten thousand colors
that blossom around the old rotten tree
which sprouted fruit of eternal life once
that gave wisdom to those who drank its juice.

Samuel steps from behind the willow tree,
while Amy films his actions, to stretch straight
his right arm toward the golden sky of truth,
then slowly twirls around on tippy toes
while repeating the word Eye thirteen times.

Sudden boom echoes across the lush vale
so Amy turns her camera toward the town
where red ball of fire billows upward,
and Samuel shouts, the factory where my dad
builds cars exploded, then runs into trees.

Amy stands alone by the lake of eyes,
filming the breeze that knows her secret name
while the white hawk glides across empty skies
and descends to explain the social game
we invent for reason to play till death.

Driving home, Amy sits at her glass desk
and edits scenes of strange random events
into film that explains why we use names
to package fluid reality in words
of frozen thought packed into the seed shell.