Coming of the Dusk...

"Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"...

After a while you learn that, imperceptibly,
Your soul became chained while holding hands.
And you learn that there is
No immovable rock
When you are weariest and need to lean most,
And no-one who will protect you always.
And you begin to understand
That if you never give of your innermost self to another
Then you will never know, have never been known.
And every defeat cuts you 'til you cry out
And blinds you with the pain,
Stripping away your dignity as a man
And leaving you vulnerable as a child.
And you learn that to always seize the day
Is to deny yourself hopes and dreams;
After a whilem you learn that sunburn heals
And the old skin peels
And you learn that the garden that you plant
To buy your soul brightness
Is quickly overgrown with lonely weeds.
And you learn that strength, endurance, self-worth, even learning itself
Only find meaning when you have loved with passion
Known passionate love returned.
And you learn, and you learn
With every painful goodbye, knowledge reaffirmed.