BOLD ENOUGH TO BLOOM

It is a flower bud
unopened
that twists my heart
and sends me unfulfilled
into the remnants
of a long, dwindling day.

Without the unfolding
of petals and stamens
brushed by bees and beetles,
without the inner tenderness
kissed by the sun
or blown by the wind
potential dies as just that--
potential.

It seems the greatest
of sins
that a flower never unfolds
that it shrivels
and shrinks there
high above the roots
while still reaching
toward the sky.

But the one I love
is not a dying flower.
She opens herself
enthusiastically
to all that is and
all that can be.
She is radiant and
glows with life
and all that surrounds her
is better for her being
bold enough
to bloom.

Jim Morgan--August 11, 2012