All Things Are One Horse

Strange, gross, weird, or wrong,
There’s no thing not named
That’s a name or thing.
Thing’s a name, like horse—
Horse, one name for things.

One, too, is a name;
All the names that count
Are the names name them.
Some names just lie there.
Some names do odd things.

Name us what’s not named,
The sweet gaps in names,
The gaps in sad names.
Now, dance. The birds sing
If you can find where

Names don’t drown their songs.
Life and death are names
For what needs no names
To make and eat names.
Names don’t come from names

Or not the first names,
The first names long lost
In all the names since.
Hear the wind? That plane?
Names don’t all name names.