[Shelacious]

I'm not really "into" poetry (not civilized enough, I think) but this poem really got me through a tough patch back in 2001, and it's still very encouraging to me to this day. A copy of it on on my office wall. This poem in a slightly different version is also attributed to Veronica Shoffall, After a While.


"Comes the Dawn"

"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 isn't security.
(Kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises.)

After awhile 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 roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain
and the inevitable has a way of crumbling in mid-flight.

After a while you learn that even sunshine burns
if you stand too long in one place.

So, you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers.
And you learn you really can endure,
that you really do have worth.
You learn that with every good-bye comes the dawn."

This version, supposedly the original version, by:
Judith Evans