Proverb

'I learned that her name was Proverb' (excerpt)

Denise Levertov

And the secret names

                   of all we meet who lead us deeper
into our labyrinth
of valleys and mountains,
twisting valleys
and steeper mountains-
their hidden names are always,
like Proverb promises:
Rune, Omen, Fable, Parable,
those we meet for only
one crucial moment, gaze to gaze,
or for years know and don't recgonize