Demolition of Tulips

He said he was in bloom. Standing in Keukenhof — millions of tulips in every direction. He exhaled joy. He was vibrant. He was here. *Emma running ahead. Meaning me. Meaning us.* Here is what they do to tulips after the season: they cut them down. At the height of their beauty. Gijsbert deadheaded himself. *He took the shears of his own fear and cut it down.* I hope he blooms again. I hope the bulb beneath the cutting finds its way to the spring he keeps demolishing before it arrives. He said he was in bloom. That is what was lost. Not just the love — *but the man who was capable of saying it.*