I don’t know the name of the flowers behind me, but I still think

they're beautiful. Besides, if I knew what they were called, I’d be too busy

thinking about the type of flowers they are and why

the gardener chose them and their beauty would be lost

on me. They say a rose by any other name but

what if it had no name? What if it just

was and we didn’t think

about why it was planted there

And the oak above me – why name it an oak? Why not

just call it a tree? Why not call a dog an animal?

But we don’t call it dog, we call him Bruce and as we get

more and more specific we drift further and further from the point –

the dog is beside me, the tree makes me smile and he flowers

(chrysanthemums or dahlias or whatever they are)

smell just as sweet.