By Robert A. Scott
My wife and I attended the Met Opera recently and I found myself choked up at the finale. This is what I thought.
Why do I cry,
When I hear a spirit soar?
You’ve seen the tears.
A dozen times or more.
Am I still a child
When I cry this way,
Or is it healthy
For tears to hold sway?
For tears show we’re touched,
Alert to a tune,
That our soul is in view,
This side of the moon.
How many times
Did my inner self speak,
When reading a verse
And tears made me weak?
Did I even know
How much I revealed?
How much I was saying?
How much I concealed?
For tears flow from eyes,
The doors to one’s soul.
In eyes we see stories:
We can see life’s toll.
These stories of self,
Are life’s bread and wine,
They tell of our days,
Both yours and mine.
The spirit that soars
Is a challenge to all.
It reminds us of youth,
Of life’s ardent call.
The tears show not sorrow,
But mark what might be.
They remind us that dreams
Are still ours to see.
Robert A. Scott, President Emeritus, Adelphi University, and Author, How University Boards Work, Johns Hopkins Press
Dear Dr. Scott,
This is a beautiful soul searchingly, self-forgiving introverted meditation I have ever read.
The more so coming from a consummate academe with an exquisitely refined history of kindness, helpfulness, and selfless dedication to education of humankind commencing with students, faculty, boards and, most recently, all ages and persuasions.
Had this been your only opus I would hold you as a masterful poet as well as a beloved spiritual brother.
Thank you for creating this profound and resonant meditation.
Brother Mark
Bob, this is beautiful! Thank you! You had me scrolling up and down seeking from which opera this came and the name of the librettist. And it’s you! Very moving. May you continue with your creativity and scholarship to move and motivate others to excellence.
Beautiful❣️
Dear Bob,
How beautiful of you to share this sensitive and insightful poem with a wider audience. As I told you, I tend to weep every day, too much compassion at the ready; but your analysis of tears negates the “cry baby” critique.
Keep on spreading your vision to those of us lucky to be in your orbit,
Marva