minor goes a muggin'

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 always 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 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
Veronica A. Shoffstall

That, is so sad.