(Intro — Vinyl Crackle, Celesta, Female Vocalise) [Vinyl crackle. Celesta plays a simple, repeating phrase. Upright bass enters low. Female voice drifts in — wordless, breathy.] Ah... ah... ah... Oo... oo... oo... Mm... mm... mm... (Muted trumpet enters. Silence between phrases.) (Verse 1 — Male, Reflective) When you like a flower, you pluck it Put it in a vase and watch it die When you love a flower, you water it Nourish the roots and let it rise (Sparse electronic drums. Upright bass. Female vocalise underneath.) We say we love, but we suffocate We hold like a butterfly in a fist We are not children preserving a corpse But we kill the freedom that made it exist (Muted trumpet. Celesta. Female vocalise rises.) (Pre-Chorus — Building) Possession is not love It's fear dressed up in a pretty name Possession is not love It's insecurity playing a game (Strings enter. Drums build. Female vocalise swells.) (Chorus — Haunting, Soaring) Love is not a bouquet That dies in a day Love is a tree that becomes a forest Love is the fragrance that remains Love is not a cage It's the open sky Love is the choice you make again Not the grip that makes it die (Full band. Strings. Muted trumpet. Female vocalise soars.) (Verse 2 — Female, Reflective) We want them to be more ambitious More affectionate, more like us We want them to change their habits Their preferences, their dreams, their trust (Upright bass. Sparse drums. Male vocalise underneath — low, wordless.) But love is not about changing the bird It's giving them the freedom to fly It's seeing them clearly as they are Not as we wish they were, not a lie (Celesta. Muted trumpet. Female vocalise rises.) (Pre-Chorus — Building) Insecurity is the enemy It clings, it monitors, it demands Insecurity is the enemy It drives away with desperate hands (Strings enter. Drums build. Female vocalise swells.) (Chorus — Explosive, Haunting) Love is not a bouquet That dies in a day Love is a tree that becomes a forest Love is the fragrance that remains Love is not a cage It's the open sky Love is the choice you make again Not the grip that makes it die (Full band. Strings soar. Female vocalise soars.) (Bridge — Stripped, Spoken Word, Intimate) [Vinyl crackle. Celesta only. Voice spoken, quiet. Female vocalise distant.] In the rat race, we forget the person who chose us. We take them for granted. We assume they'll always be there. We prioritize work, money, achievement. And then one day, we wake up and the connection has withered. (Pause. Upright bass enters.) John Gottman found the most important predictor Is not grand gestures or romantic getaways. It is the small, everyday moments of connection. A partner sighs, and the other looks up. A partner reaches for a hand, and the other takes it. (Pause. Muted trumpet enters. Drums build.) Two hearts unite in trust. Apology is powerful, but it must mean it. And even then, the heart may not return. We can only do our part. We can only speak our truth. (Full band explodes. Strings. Drums. Celesta. Female vocalise soars.) We need not pass our trauma to others. We are not condemned to repeat the patterns. We can choose to heal. We can choose to break the cycle. Love gives us the safety to fix ourselves. (Chorus — Massive, Resolved) Love is not a bouquet That dies in a day Love is a tree that becomes a forest Love is the fragrance that remains Love is not a cage It's the open sky Love is the choice you make again Not the grip that makes it die (Female vocalise soars. Harmonies: The fragrance that remains...) Let us plant a tree called love And watch it turn into a forest Let us plant a tree called love And watch it turn into a forest (Full band. Strings soar. Muted trumpet. Drums pound. Female vocalise swells then fades.) (Outro — Stripped, Spoken-Sung, Female Vocalise Fading) [Vinyl crackle. Celesta. Upright bass. Voice soft.] The fragrance of real love Is not the scent of a preserved corpse No matter how beautifully arranged (Female vocalise: Ah... oo... mm...) It is the living, breathing aroma Of two people who have chosen each other freely And who continue to choose each other Day after day, season after season (Female vocalise fades.) That is the love that lasts That is the love that heals That is the love that leaves a fragrance Long after the moment has passed (Celesta holds one final note. Upright bass holds one note. Muted trumpet fades. Vinyl crackle. Female vocalise fades. Silence.)
