'You Learn' by Jorge Luis Borges

Written by Anonymous (link to original poem here)

Context:

The poem "Apriendendo" is believed to have been written in the 1940s in Spanish and later translated into English in the late 1960s. There is some controversy surrounding authorship. It has been most widely attributed to Jorge Luis Borges, but in the 1970s, others stepped up to claim it as theirs: Yamira Hernandez, Veronica Shoffstall and Judith Evans. It is also known with different titles: "Come the Dawn" and "After a While". Whoever the author is, the sentiments conveyed are beautiful and it is a potent reminder to make sure we continue to make time for what truly matters.

Poem:

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.

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