the hard stuff

the hard stuff is the stuff that makes us squeeze tighter

the stuff that makes us tighten our jaw,

or our gut

or our sphincters.

The hard stuff is the stuff that makes us run into the dark corner of our minds and recite the mean stuff we have learned to say to ourselves,

the not enoughnesses,

the uselesses,

the uglinesses.

The hard stuff is the stuff that makes us deliver a little peice of our succulent soul on a plate to those who deserve it the least

makes us craven,

makes us self sabotage,

makes us resolveless.

The hard stuff makes us take our dreams and push them far out to sea in the worst weather,

without a captain

without an anchor

and without a bilgepump.


The hard stuff is where our treasure lies.