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 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 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 learn,

With every goodbye you learn.

Veronica A. Shoffstall

Versão alterada do poema:

After some time you learn the difference,
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 you learn,
That even the sun burns if you get too much,
And learn that it doesn’t matter how much you do care about,
Some people simply don’t care at all.
And you accept that it doesn’t matter how good a person is,
She will hurt you once in a while,
And you need to forgive her for that.
You learn that talking can relieve emotional pain.
You discover that it takes several years to build a relationship based on confidence,
And just a few seconds to destroy it.
And that you can do something just in an instant,
And which you will regret for the rest of your life.
You learn that the true friendships,
Continue to grow even from miles away.
And that what matters isn’t what you have in your life,
But who you have in your life.
And that good friends are the family,
Which allows us to choose.
You learn that we don’t have to switch our friends,
If we understand that friends can also change.
You realize that you are your best friend,
And that you can do anything, or nothing,
And have good moments together.
You discover that the people who you most care about in your life,
Are taken from you so quickly,
So we must always leave the people who we care about with lovely words,
It may be the last time we see them.
You learn that the circunstances and the enviroment have influence upon us,
But we are responsible for ourselves.
You start to learn that you should not compare yourself with others,
But with the best you can be.
You discover that it takes a long time to become the person you wish to be,
And that the time is short.
You learn that it doesn’t matter where you have reached,
But where you are going to.
But if you don’t know where you are going to,
Anywhere will do.
You learn that either you control your acts,
Or they shall control you.
And that to be flexible doesn’t mean to be weak or not to have personality,
Because it doesn’t matter how delicate and fragile the situation is,
There are always two sides.
You learn that heroes are those who did what was necessary to be done,
Facing the consequences.
You learn that patience demands a lot of practice.
You discover that sometimes,
The person who you most expect to be kicked by when you fall,
Is one of the few who will help you to stand up.
You learn that maturity has more to do with the kinds of experiences you had
And what you have learned from them,
Than how many birthdays you have celebrated.
You learn that there are more from you parents inside you than you thought.
You learn that we shall never tell a child that dreams are silly,
Very few things are so humiliating,
And it would be a tragedy if she belived in it.
You learn that when you are angry,
You have the right to be angry,
But this doesn’t give you the right to be cruel.
You discover that only because someone doesn’t love you the way you would like her to,
It doesn’t mean that this person doesn’t love you the most she can,
Beacuse there are people who love us,
But just don’t know how to show or live that.
You learn that sometimes it isn’t enough being forgiven by someone,
Sometimes you have to learn how to forgive yourself.
You learn that with the same harshness you judge,
Some day you will be condemned.
You learn that it doesn’t matter in how many pieces your heart has been broken,
The world doesn’t stop for you to fix it.
You learn that time isn’t something you can turn back,
Therefore you must 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.
You really are strong .
And you can go so farther than you thougt you could go.
And that life really has a value.
And you have value within the life.
And that our gifts are betrayers,
And make us lose
The good we could conquer,
If it wasn’t for the fear of trying.


Veronica A. Shoffstall



Versão portuguesa falsamente atribuída a William Shakespeare:


Depois de algum tempo aprendes a diferença,
A subtil diferença entre dar uma mão e acorrentar uma alma,
E aprendes que amar não é apoiar-se
E que companhia nem sempre significa segurança,
E começas a aprender que beijos não são contratos,
E presentes não são promessas.

E começas a aceitar as tuas derrotas com a cabeça erguida e os olhos adiante,
Com a graça de uma mulher, e não com a tristeza de uma criança
E aprendes a construir todas as tuas estradas no hoje,
Porque o terreno de amanhã é incerto demais para planos,
E o futuro tem a sua forma de cair em pleno vôo.

Aprendes que falar pode curar dores emocionais
Descobres que se leva anos para construir uma confiança
E apenas segundos para destruí-la.
E que podes fazer coisas num instante,
Das quais te arrependerás para o resto da tua vida.

Aprendes que verdadeiras amizades continuam a crescer
Mesmo a longa distância,
E o que importa não é o que tens na vida,
Mas quem tens na vida.
E que bons amigos são a família que nos permitiram escolher.

Aprendes que não temos que mudar de amigos
Se compreendermos que os amigos mudam,
Percebes que o teu melhor amigo e tu
Podem fazer qualquer coisa ou nada
E terem bons momentos juntos.

Descobres que só porque alguém não te ama do jeito que tu queres que te amem
Não significa que esse alguém não te ame com tudo que pode
Pois existem pessoas que nos amam
Mas simplesmente não sabem como demonstrar ou viver com isso.

Aprendes que nem sempre é suficiente ser perdoado por alguém
Algumas vezes tens que aprender a perdoar-te a ti mesmo
Aprendes que com a mesma severidade com que tu julgas
Tu serás em algum momento condenado.

Aprendes que não importa em quantos pedaços o teu coração foi partido,
O mundo não pára para que o consertes,
Aprendes que tempo é algo que não pode voltar a trás,
Portanto, planta o teu jardim e decora a tua alma,
Ao invés de esperar que alguém te traga flores.

E aprendes que realmente podes superar, que realmente és forte,
E que podes ir muito mais longe depois de pensares que não podes mais.
E que a vida realmente tem valor,
E que tu tens valor diante da vida.
E finalmente aprendes que as nossas dúvidas são traidoras
E nos fazem perder o bem que poderíamos conquistar,
Se não fosse o medo de tentar...