Thursday, December 02, 2010

Poem of the day


You Learn

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 up and your eyes open
with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,
and you learn to build all 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 garden and decorate your own soul,
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure.
That you really are strong.
And you really do have worth.
And you learn. And learn.
With every good-bye you learn.
- Jorge Luis Borges Veronica Shoffstall
(via whiskey river)

4 comments:

Medley said...

Was that really Borges? I clipped that out of (IIRC) a Dear Abby column in the newspaper in junior high, did a poor man's laminating (with scotch tape) and kept it in my wallet for *years*...

ACM said...

Well, a quick Google search supports your skepticism -- I find it attributed most often to Veronica Shoftshall, 1971 (sometimes "unknown" and sometimes variants like "Veronica A. Shoffstall"). Whiskey River usually gets such things right, so I'll have to ping him. I don't claim any direct knowledge, that's for sure! :)

ACM said...

or not, since there's no contact info.
%^)

fatty said...

http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?4,27156,40760

more than one person claims authorship