Before the calamity of yesterday....

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 understand that kisses aren’t contracts 
And presents aren’t promises.
And you begin to accept your defeats 
With your head held high and your eyes open,
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child. 
You learn to build your roads
On today because tomorrow’s ground 
Is too uncertain for plans, and futures have
A way of falling down in midflight. 
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 waiting 
For someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you can really endure, 
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth 
And you learn and learn … and you learn
With every goodbye you learn.

-Veronica Shorffstall, 1971