A friend who would like to remain anonymous sent this along. Found it in the newspaper the day they left an abusive relationship. Has kept a copy of it in their wallet ever since then.

After A While

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 are contracts and
presents aren’t promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with you head up and your eyes
ahead
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 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 really can endure
that you really are strong
and you really do have worth
and you learn and you learn
with every goodbye you learn.

-Veronica A. Shoffstall