The Flower
A petal falls to the water
it drifts with the current
floating on the liquid
that fed the roots.
Roots grown deep
in the bank of the water
giving strength to the branches above.
Buds once hidden in branches
now blooming in time.
Rich color and deep design.
The glory of the flower is fleeting,
even though its beauty is unparalleled.
The petals loosen and fall
to the waiting river below.
The collection closes without words of love or declaration or desire. It closes with an image — a flower releasing its petals to the river that fed its roots. This is Scott’s most universal poem, and his most serene. After everything that has been lived and written, the final statement is not a declaration but a surrender. And surrender, here, is understood as the highest form of trust.
I did not write this poem about love directly. I wrote it about letting go — and then I realized that letting go is what love requires more than almost anything else. The flower does not hold its petals. It releases them to the water that made it possible to bloom. That is what I want this love to be. Not held too tightly. Given fully. Trusted to the source that created it.