I Do Not Know Its Name

He leaned in and whispered as he turned the page And he said make yourself into a flame A crazy old lion with his hair all backlit Grinnin' like a little boy who has a secret I do not know its name Though it's ever intertwining And I believe it must look like an old man shining We were eating summer peaches by a roadside stand Juice running down like laughter on our chin and on our hands When we were done we looked around and smiled at each other And I do not know its name No matter how I try But I believe it must taste like peaches eaten by the roadside He drove a rental car shuttle to the airports on Sundays We chatted that grey morning about the choir he sang with Wednesdays He sang a haunting gospel hymn shameless and clear With only me a wandering stranger sitting there to hear And I do not know its name Elusive and subtle But I believe it must sound like that man singing in the shuttle Standing in the river barefoot in the current I hear the sound of a birdcall and I try to learn it The water is a wonder it's cold and fast and deep I saw a fish go swimming out too far for me to reach And I do not know its name Swimmer or watcher But I believe that there is always something Moving beneath the water If holy is a sphere that cannot be rendered There is no middle place because all of it is center I do not know its name I do not know its name I do not know its name