Soul food

I've been cleaning out boxes and sorting through bookcases and piles, all as a result of painting my apartment and trying to declutter 51 years worth of possessions. Funny the things you hold on to and the things that take on new meaning -- or lose the special meaning they once had.

Here's a poem I came across that I really liked 12 years ago. In rereading it, I still like it. So I'll save it for posterity here.

After a while

by Veronica Shoffstall

After a while you learn the subtle difference

between holding a hand and sharing a life

and you learn that love doesn't mean possession

and company doesn't mean security

and loneliness is universal.

And you 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 your hope on today

as the future has a way of falling apart in mid-flight

because tomorrow's ground can be too uncertain for plans

yet each step taken in a new direction creates a path

towards the promise of a brighter dawn.

And you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much

so you plant your own garden

and nourish your own soul

instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that love, true love,

always has joys and sorrows

seems ever present, yet is never quite the same

becoming more than love and less than love

so difficult to define.

And you learn that through it all

you really can endure

that you really are strong

that you do have value

and you learn and grow

with every goodbye

you learn.