A Poem of Emotional Growth

After A While

(alternate title: Comes the Dawn)

After a while you learn

the subtle difference between

holding a hand and chaining a soul,

and you learn that

love doesn't mean leaning

and company doesn't mean security,

and you begin to learn

that kisses aren't contracts

and presents aren't promises,

and you begin to accept your defeats

with your head held up

and your eyes ahead,

with the grace of a woman,

not the grief of a child,

and you learn to build all of your roads

on today because tomorrow's ground

is too uncertain for plans,

and futures have a way of

falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn that

even sunshine burns

if you get too much.

So you plant your own garden

and decorate your own soul,

instead of wating for someone

to bring you flowers.

And you learn that

you really can endure...

That you really do have worth.

And you learn and you learn...

With every goodbye you learn.

-Veronica A. Shoffstall