Wisdom
When I have ceased to break my wings
Against the faultiness of things,
And learned that compromises wait
Behind each hardly opened gate,
When I have looked Life in the eyes,
Grown calm and very coldly wise,
Life will have given me the Truth,
And taken in exchange -- my youth.
Commentary
Here’s another one from Sara Teasdale. It’s very simple and expresses beautifully the involuntary bargain most of us make when growing up.
— Lieven Marchand