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.
by Jorge Luis Borges
ranslation by Veronica A. Shoffstall
found on Oriah Mountaindreamer's Facebook page
2 comments:
Such a magficient poet. His line, let me know you as you were before you existed.....' has journeyed with me as an enduring jewel. Now here is another. Apoem that neatly lays the table straight; a feast, economically spread. Fine choice, thank you for posting this letter, from a close shore.
thanks Eileen, it's nice to find another lover of poetry, and Borges.
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