We have time for everything
Sleep, run back and forth,
regret we made an error and err again
judge others and absolve ourselves,
we have time to read and write,
edit what we wrote, regret what we wrote,
we have time to make projects and never follow through
we have time to dwell in illusions and stir through
their ashes much later.
We have time for ambitions and diseases,
to blame destiny and details,
we have time to look at the clouds, at the ads, or some random accident, we have time
to chase away our questions, postpone our answers, we have time
to crush a dream and reinvent it, we have time to make friends,
to lose them, we have time to take lessons and forget them
soon after, we have time to receive gifts and not understand them. We have time for everything.
No time, though, for a little tenderness.
When we’re about to do that, too, we die.
~ Octavian Paler (1926-2007. Romanian writer, politician, journalist and activist.)
Source: For Quote, Thank you Yama-Bato. For photo: Cristina Otero
Live & Learn 
Well written poem and great photo — but aw come on! We don’t have to wait that long. I guess Charles Foster — Citizen Kane did but that was in the movies.
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Thanks Frank. As usual, you are on point…
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Nothing is ours except time and we we take the only thing we have for granted. One of the best thing of your posts is that I get to read a diverse and amazing reading stuff which I would not be able to find by myself.
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Thank you Sonia. Yes, I’m with you…
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Whether or not I agree is irrelevant – the juxtaposition of the wide-eyed question in this beautiful child’s face with the forthright declarations below it are perfect.
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Thanks Mimi
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Love this photo–this girl’s eyes are completely arresting–but don’t know that I can embrace the sentiment. Still, it makes ya stop and think, and that’s never a bad thing… 🙂
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Reblogged this on Teacher as Transformer and commented:
This is a beautiful poem with a a powerful message. When do we have time for the important things in life?
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Thanks for sharing Ivon
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No problem David. It is a beautiful poem with a powerful message.
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Powerful presentation.
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Yes, I had the same reaction. Profound.
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Maybe someone can re-write the last two lines?
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Yes, it goes a bit dark, but powerful message nonetheless.
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Very true. Very good message indeed.
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I hope that this poem wasn’t written near the end of his life. I hope that he wrote it much earlier and realized in time that he needed to make changes in his own life in such a way that he no longer believed the last two lines of his poem to be true.
Russ
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Me too Russ. Me too.
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Reblogged this on Present, Awake, & Alive and commented:
This is a beautiful poem that reminds us to think about what we most value and whether or not we make them a priority in life.
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Thank you for sharing Carolina.
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