The Namer

11:31 PM Marcellino DAmbrosio 0 Comments

The power to name, man’s first responsibility
His first task, given before the sea pounded rocks into sandy beaches,
Before fire’s ravenous flickering, before labor’s pains.

Adam stood naked before every name’s origin,
His warm breath exhaling
And breathing in this single great command.

It was after all, the Name that was before all else,
The Name Which spoke out over the water
And called it Good,
The Name that rushed into earth’s wounds and made them lips.

At their first splitting the name must burst out
Fountaining Life.
The Name was in him, was him.
He must Name because that is his joy, his glory, his greatest gift
To Name, to call forth the soul and sate its thirst for existence

Adam named all that came before him until finally
The Origin of all drew back it's veil to reveal
The last creation, his final act in flesh.

Adam beheld the creature before him
And with clay tongue cleaving to dry roof
Spoke “Woman.”
He looked into her eyes and it was the Name
He saw looking back at him

He hung there before his bride
The fountain’s parched lips part:
“I thirst”
With that he flooded into her,
For this first Adam must flow into the sea of the next
Through cascading generations.

He would be born with not one name, but many.
Wonder counselor, prince of peace, king of kings,
Sign of contradiction, the Name Made Flesh
In a manger among donkeys.

This Namer arrives in birthblood and baby fat
Helpless, thirsty crying for milk.
His first words change his parents forever, renaming them
"Mama," "dada."