"toughen" poems
I use technology to take me to a time when it only half-existed. In a blue-shell room of mega-pixel photographs and rolling news feeds, I can put on my headphones and disappear into an instrumental Sunday.
There are stamp collectors making their lazy way over beaten roads and disused railways. 'Surrender' only means to fall asleep and to leave your book as a hut on your bedside table. Where war may still go on and on,
but at least you don't have to hear about it. Show me the place where pine-cones fall and women stare across the river. Where coffee is for taste, and not self-medication. I want to walk bare-foot and feel thorns
toughen my heels, infect my blood with Earth or God or Any Other Name. We will **** in the bushes, singing those fragments of Leonard Cohen lyrics that we can still remember from times spent smoking in my room.
I can almost feel that pointless happiness. That location in a canopy to retreat when the bills are due, when the walls needs re-painting. When the neighbour strangles puppies and all you do is complain about the time.
I use new music set to old sounds: freed slaves living in the cross-hairs of tradition. White lovers breaking their hearts over guitar strings and harmonies, always a semi-tone apart. I find your hair on my pillow.
There is no technology in the world to distract me from that.
Aug 30, 2014
Aug 30, 2014 at 6:29 PM UTC
I am blind
And I ain't blind
To the different social classes
And their faces
I try and try to be impartial
But my fears and preconceptions
Give way to prejudice of thought
Love and unity fill my mind
Yet when its time
To effect some change
My feet quiver
And words can't formulate
I want to tell my brethren
you are special to me
and I love you just the same
As anybody else
But I'm scared of what he will respond
Will he reject me as we are not the same
Will he embrace me and bring forth a seed of change
I am blind
And I ain't blind
To the disdain classes afford one another
Man threatens to discard the fact we're all the same
So I wonder
Can we look beyond facades
Strip it all down to our core
Don't we all want to feel the same
Maybe we can toughen up and take down the ranks
That impede us from becoming one-another's friend
Dec 3, 2010
Dec 3, 2010 at 2:57 AM UTC
Being a woman is tough
We constantly struggle with finding the balance
Between strength and vulnerability
Sometimes it can be too much
Having to exude our feminine power
And dealing with masculinity
What is a woman to do
When she wants to play in a man's world?
Does she toughen up and play with the boys
Or remain a timid, overly emotional girl?
Maybe it's best for a woman
To learn both sides of the species
She can rule the world being vulnerable and feminine
With a dash of masculinity
Jun 22, 2015
Jun 22, 2015 at 11:13 PM UTC
Rhymes sweetly, but can me a
***** my finger won't I still bleed.
Times toughen, and kick me in my
As trees grow, life will reseed.
Walks manly, and scratches my
Ball's in your court, bounce my way.
Talks fanning flames, I don't give a
Dam for beavers, I shall not stray.
Words come faster, so call me a
******* looking for his father
Figure me out in your secret mind
**** get out, look for another.
Oct 15, 2010
Oct 15, 2010 at 2:49 PM UTC
I'm more than just a little girl with a daddy complex.
I am someone who has been hurt, abandoned and betrayed,
I'm a little girl who has been brave.
And I still know how to behave.
Not an alcoholic, not a smoker.
Still a ****** never touched dope or
Anything harder.
No fishnets on these legs, crossed at the knees.
Nothing tragic about me, just a hard, young shell.
You can't compete with me and the lessons I've learned,
the girl scout badges I've earned.
Daddy's gone, so toughen up,
things are set to get rough.
Sep 7, 2012
Sep 7, 2012 at 4:25 PM UTC
”How To Not Be A People Pleaser”
below are listed 10 bullet points
on how to toughen up,
on how to avoid the blow of others
wiping their ***** feet across
your ‘welcome mat’ heart.
Surely I have the look down, right?
Skinny jeans fit for skinny girls (who I am not),
tucked into loosened combat boots that have never seen a good shoe shine. Black eyeshadow smeared in the form of war paint,
"Today is a good day to die"
But the fact that this is all a charade,
that ‘looking tough’ does not mean you automatically
become some brazened ******* who does not let anyone inside
of your crazy head or heart,
loosens the grip you try so desperately to hold on to.
If you look the part, surely you feel it in your bones.
You feel the anger and the need to not be so polite all of the time.
Yet you still hold doors open, say please and thank you, smile at strangers on the street,
your mouth cannot form the simple word ‘no’ in fear of hurting another person.
So how can you not be a people pleaser?
You can’t. No matter how grungy you look,
no matter how loud you listen to rock ‘n roll
no matter how dark and damaged you let your soul appear
maybe you can allow yourself to become something you are not,
but you can not bury something you are.
Jul 28, 2014
Jul 28, 2014 at 12:59 AM UTC
Looks can ****
so they say,
but words can't hurt at all.
But whoever came up with the idiotic saying,
*"Sticks and stones can break my bones,
but words can*
Never
hurt me."
Has obviously never had a dictionary thrown at them.
Because words do hurt,
they think we can ignore it,
but the breaking point,
when is that?
They say it'll stop eventually,
but what if eventually isn't soon enough,
before...
The Breaking point.
The breaking point,
no one knows where it is,
but it kills,
everyone dies in the end.
But others aren't that lucky,
when they aren't looking,
tragedy happens,
and it sneaks up on them,
it forms,
from their own thoughts,
a knife,
it will ****
they are called words.
Words make the breaking point,
the breaking point,
where no one knows where it is.
But,
It kills
Words are the deadliest of weapons,
they cause death, destruction,
and everything.
Wars form from...
words.
They are the destroyer of the human race.
So next time someone tells you to toughen up,
or that stupid saying,
or that it will eventually go away,
don't believe them,
it won't,
you have to be strong and break the words.
Like a wall,
they block you,
destroy them,
be a wrecking ball,
because they will come down,
and you will be,
victorious
You will win against...
The Breaking Point.
May 19, 2015
May 19, 2015 at 10:52 AM UTC
We were flying across the valleys,
Searching the way through the alleys.
Suddenly out of no-where,
It came along with a loud bang!
Pulling the car in front of the house,
Two of us started getting into the rouse.
Luckily you knew how to fix the situation,
Changing the tire was a fun exploration.
You never know when along the way,
You will get a flat tire right away.
Stopping you along your life’s path,
Making you suddenly stumble across.
When a flat tire actually happens,
Nothing it is just a way to toughen.
Having a spare is always handy,
Change it and move ahead in a jiffy.
This is not literal but metaphorical,
Life is like the road and we are in a vehicle.
You will never know when the curves will hit you,
A flat tire is the block anytime you can fall into.
Instead of crying and throwing a fist,
Give the time and make it all fit.
There will be many flat tires along the way,
Always buckle up and give your best to the day…
Sep 13, 2016
Sep 13, 2016 at 6:13 PM UTC
im sorry i didn't answer my phone
that night. i told you **"i'll only be a hour,
i promise,"** but you didn't inform me that you were leaving too. twenty missed calls. one text.
*"i can't do this anymore, please
pick up, what do i do?"*
im sorry i got mad at you that one day, screamed, left, and cried. you always told me i was too emotional and to toughen up inside. you said you'd always be by my side, although i think you failed to define always, and mention, that soon, you'd be saying goodbye.
im sorry i wasn't as bubbly as you on the days you smiled with your teeth. the days you got confident and decided you were free. the days you came and tugged my hand, got this idea, like school was something we could afford to flee.
im sorry that when i questioned
you about the cuts and bruises, i allowed you to tell me "it's nothing, don't worry about it, i'm fine."
im sorry when your mom left
you home that night, you looked
but didn't find. you said you called exactly after an hour, but i wasn't anywhere around.
im sorry they teased and picked on you, called you names, pulled your hair, and kicked you down.
im sorry, i swear i ran as fast as i could after i was done. my mile takes me ten, maybe fifteen minutes, at least.
im sorry i got there too late and understood all your pain after you put it in ink.
**YOU KNOW IM NO GOOD WITHOUT YOU, GOD YOU KNOW IM ******* WEAK.
WHY DID YOU LEAVE? I CANT DO THIS ON MY OWN, DON'T YOU THINK?**
im sorry... im so sorry... im right
here, you see? can we talk about this? rethink it?
just please, promise you'll visit me tonight while i sleep.
Sep 10, 2014
Sep 10, 2014 at 9:56 PM UTC
Skipping ropes tied to lamp posts
hopscotch was another for girls
I'd try to work out the rules
but dare not ask, nor yet even
be seen to be showing interest
sometimes I'd be invited
to join in girls play
I could hold the rope
while others skipped
but had not the grace
or the agility to skip
at all well myself
there were role play games
of families with dolls
proudly displayed
tenderly nursed
and I would be offered
the role of 'daddy'
though I had no clue
of how to do that
having no father myself
so I would be told
to arrive home from work
to sit in my chair
to put on my slippers
to smoke my pipe
to hear tales of misbehaviour
by the children
and I would be amused
but would be told firmly
that I must be stern with them
then when that was done
to eat my tea and afterwards
to sit watching the telly
distracted from the game
that continued around me
or to go out to the pub
and I thought that
fathers must be
the most boring of people
The rough and tumble
was not for me
why would some boy think
he could throw me down
straddle me, pummeling
overpower and hold me there
trapped, despite my struggles
I learned early that
scratching, biting,
flailing, kicking
were not permitted
nor were tears
yet I shed them still
and screamed and scratched
and bit and flailed
if I could not avail
myself of natural defences
generally expected of girls
then why should my attacker
receive no more than
mild admonishment, if that
while I'd be advised
to "toughen up"
and the goading
carried on relentlessly
"you run like a girl"
"you throw like a girl"
"you kick the ball like a girl"
"you fight like a girl"
as though doing those things
like a girl were demeaning
Cynthia Pauline Jones 30/10/13
Mar 15, 2014
Mar 15, 2014 at 9:35 AM UTC
TV’s going in living room
Talking about our doom
We’re laying on the front lawn
Yesterday’s long gone
Woman showing skin
Too fat, too thin
She can never win
Throwing up yet again
Listen up man
We’re all ******
Re-repeating reprimands
Demolition on demand
Locate security
Trying to make camp
In independent infidelity
Strutting to the bank
Cashing in corrupted currency
Stock markets sank
Guitar man teary eyed
Rock and roll came and died
Record producer’s big old lies
Broken dreams and wasted time
Colorado Smokey Joe lights a bone
Faded out to the ozone
Smoking on home grown
Got glaucoma? Get an O
Shut up dude
We’re all *******
Forget the olden days
Give marriage to the gays
Let go of the narrow minded silly ways
Let it be as common as classic Frito-Lays
Rolling in the new waves
Is it God who really saves?
Is there even one big deity?
Guess there is if you believe
Be born, live life
Go to college, get a wife
Get job, sacrifice
It’s the norm, is it right?
Have a kid, then have another
Father, mother
Sister, brother
Try to tolerate each other
Watch your back bro
Because I don’t know
Undecided, undeclared
Run in circles, running scared
Take a risk, double dare
Love needs to be redefined
Unanimously agreed and signed
Peace in the heart and the mind
Going down the rabbit hole
Striving for that same goal
Anti- bullying campaign
Kid comes home blood stained
Toughen up
Enough's enough
Individuality
Opposing mainstream reality
Wiseman taken as a fool
Becomes another social causality
Feel it
Taste it
On the back of your tongue
Hanging by the gallows martyrs hung
Climbing up the ladder’s rungs
Foul smelling whiskey bums
Grab a *** and stash it
Looking like your bat ****
Steal a car and crash it
“Always wash your berries before you eat them and fly toward the sun”
Mar 12, 2014
Mar 12, 2014 at 2:13 PM UTC
My back aches
It breaks from carrying you, Boy
So many years
All your life
All my life
You hold me back
And slow me down
You keep dragging me
Down to the ground
I could have flown but for you
Keeping the past within me
Anchoring me to the long gone
I remember you
Scrambling in the dirt
And fighting in the street
But underneath you were soft
Too fast to believe
And maybe you still make me a fool
I've always told you
Toughen up, kid!
I can't afford your gullibility
I refuse to feel your fears
Or hear the voices that scare you
Do you hear me, kid?
And tell me this, Boy
Do I still see the world
Through your wide open eyes?
By Phil Roberts
Aug 3, 2017
Aug 3, 2017 at 7:32 AM UTC
Out the window there,
Beneath the glassy, blue sky,
The white sun bleaches
Everything beneath its rays.
I wither inside.
I die if I venture out.
And yet, my heart yearns,
My soul burns, to see the world.
Mountains, rivers, seas;
Indeed, just to see a tree
I would leave it all.
I would risk the burning sun,
Drop it all and run,
If forests were there for me.
I would endure it,
Knowing that cool springs waited.
My heart climbs mountains
As I answer phone calls here;
My mind explores caves
As I file cash receipts.
I watch mountain lakes
Turn gold with the dying sun
As I read emails.
But some day, I will reach out
And instead of desk,
I will grab my mountain gear;
Some day, my fingers
Will callous and toughen up:
Instead of keyboard,
I'll skip rocks across a creek.
I will do it all,
See all I've wanted to see,
And feel the cool breeze
After climbing the mountains
And fording rivers.
I'll get out of this desk chair
And go explore what's out there.
Aug 10, 2016
Aug 10, 2016 at 2:44 PM UTC
Sometimes, to break is nothing but pain
But even when we don’t see it, there is something to claim
“Whatever doesn't **** you makes you stronger”
But pain doesn't always toughen us, and make life last longer
There are the times though, we destroy ourselves with reason
And we know we’ll come through the fire unbeaten
Nothing can be made bigger, made more powerful
Without a little destruction; truth can be sorrowful
The times when we willingly subjectify ourselves though
Feel the best, we know what we’re doing—reaping the glory we sow
We all desire strength, power and might
We all want to be stunning, beautiful of sight
We think the ways we build ourselves up, are what pretty us the most
And give little attention, to life’s trials and complications; they’re nothing to boast
But those are where we find our strength; withstanding the tempest
Screaming our passion, unmoving, fighting, holding fast
It is the pain we endure, that we often try to ignore
The brutality, the violence, the blood sweat and gore
But the cruelty of life, all the things you've battled through
That’s what makes you beautiful…this is why I love you
Stay strong, Life's a fight
But I'll go through it by your side
Oct 17, 2013
Oct 17, 2013 at 8:55 AM UTC
I hope you find this
easy enough
to understand
and toughen up,
I love you
and will,
doesn't matter,
I will still
if you don't
pay the rent
and you don't
continue spent
of happiness
and reason in life,
although I take
a similar strife
and deal with it.
I'll love you still,
I promise I will,
so it's my time to flee,
I'm going to be free
of twisted words
and theories unheard,
the democracy
with a dictator king
in a vacuum bag
of kidnapped wings,
I'm going, I'm leaving
for the sake of our dreams,
and for the sake of yours,
I hope you've a queen.
Dec 27, 2010
Dec 27, 2010 at 10:03 AM UTC
When someone breaks your trust
you'll never forget
But if you let it scar
if you let it toughen
your edges
The only person you'll hurt is
yourself
So even though it stings
even though its hard
Forgive
And be wary against further bruising.
-Esther L. Krenzin-
-Roguesong-
Mar 20, 2019
Mar 20, 2019 at 12:10 PM UTC
There I see stardust,
in your bright eyes,
spinning galaxies of grey,
while some might say they're blue,
though it's not for them to say,
& all I know right now,
is my sun has gone away.
As I'm your Mother Earth,
& you're my dearest Sun,
you're shining on my heart,
& my relief when days are done,
a satisfying feeling,
in the victories we've won.
I sometimes call you poppa,
as I rub your happy tummy,
guess momma done it right,
cuz I cooked you somethin' yummy,
You are the only magic,
my heart has ever known,
cuz I'm doomed without your light,
I cannot do it all alone,
I am weary,
I am tired,
I'm a quickly aging bone,
You taught me toughen up
say it ain't as if you're dying,
you seem like you don't care,
only sometimes when I'm crying,
I know that you do love me,
but I feel I love you more,
I'd walk across a fire,
& swim to distant shore
I know that it's the truest love,
in this I can't ignore,
Your heart is where my home is,
& I couldn't say it truer,
& I love you more tonight,
as my days are getting fewer,
I see you try to help,
you wouldn't just keep tryin'
it's not too much your sold on,
or them theories that you're buyin',
You helped me see the beauty
now please I ask see mine,
I'm not asking for your sympathy,
or to set up for me a shrine,
I only want your hand,
to walk with me awhile,
down the old back roads,
and then on the longest mile,
you are the ONLY one,
who can bring,
my happy smile.
Cherie Nolan © 2017
Jan 11, 2017
Jan 11, 2017 at 10:00 AM UTC
Dear Sensitive Souls,
They call us emotional, fragile and weak as though these are the only words to describe us. Did they not see beyond the fact that we feel too much? that we are also empathetic and compassionate? Did they overlook all the beautiful qualities that came along with being sensitive.
So often we took our sensitivity as a curse for making us drown in an ocean of emotions. For being hurt by noticing the intricacies in people's body language, attitude and hesitations. For leaving us sore, drained at the end of the day. For making our problems look so insignificant in the eyes of others that we wouldn't even feel like opening up because if we did, word would just spill and eyes would just flood. For making us feel no one would understand the intensity of our emotions. For just letting us feel we were weak because every word, every vibe, every energy would just penetrate right through our heart leaving us to feel broken.
For making us feel so overwhelmed that it would be a struggle to get through the day. For making us face their statements and questions "Why are you so emotional?" "You're like a volcano ready to just explode" "Just toughen up" "You're such a mess". Sensitivity initially left me feeling so weak and broken for being affected so easily at the littlest of
things.
But over the years I met beautiful and kind souls who admired sensitivity as one of the rare and crucial part of humanity. Spending time with them changed my perspective about sensitivity and started to embrace it as a part of me.
The word "Sensitive" that once sounded like an insult became a compliment. The sensitivity I used to once spend my day hating became something so beautiful to me. It was when I started to embrace my sensitivity did I allow my emotions to be acknowledged, felt and be expressed.
Jul 25, 2019
Jul 25, 2019 at 3:20 AM UTC
everyone feels sad
angry
pathetic
used
abused
confused
reused
everyone uses
abuses
drinks
delays
betrays
I haven't been through the worst of it yet
I need to toughen up
This is just passing a kidney stone
From taking everything with two grains of salt
and it will get better down the road
sweet heart sweet beloved child hunny bae
cliche
I'll cut and burn you out of my brain anyway
May 2, 2014
May 2, 2014 at 3:37 AM UTC
Hear me out lately
Ya know the dark storm is coming
it's closing out the lighted sky
without a sound
yeah the beast is a rumblin
through the thunder hear his cries
challenging me to fight
and I won't pass it down
Yeah he won't spin me around
the devil is on my back
and I find
I'm weak and blind when he attacks
and sometimes
I give in to temptress gaze
releasing reason to the animal's instinct
Listen close baby
hear my guitar strumming
whisper off the tainted words
like it's not a crime
yeah here he comes a creepin
binding down the house
collapsing all of the walls
twisted down to the ground
Yeah he won't spin me around
the devil is on my back
and I find
I'm weak and blind when he attacks
and sometimes
I give in to temptress gaze
releasing reason to the animal's instinct
Oh you can slither all you want inside
but I will never let you out
contain the burning blades I seek to sacrifice
though it causes all the pain and scars
that toughen out my hide
the stronger I become to hold on through the night
I will never die...
Yeah he won't spin me around
the devil is on my back
and I find
I'm weak and blind when he attacks
and sometimes
I give in to temptress gaze
releasing reason to the animal's instinct
reflecting seasons into the end of days
Apr 18, 2012
Apr 18, 2012 at 4:26 PM UTC
Don't talk about your sadness,
They'll say you're an annoyance.
Don't talk about how terrified you are,
They'll say you're frustrating.
Don't talk about your struggles,
They'll tell you all about their triumphs.
Don't talk about what you're going through,
They won't understand.
Don't tell anyone anything.
Simply cause it's pointless.
Struggles of the dead are valued more than those who are alive.
Nobody wants to sit with you and hear your sad story.
They want you to toughen up and get over it.
And that's not what you want to hear.
So don't say anything to anyone.
Apr 16, 2017
Apr 16, 2017 at 11:58 PM UTC
Mental illnesses, they aren't real.
With time everything heals.
Why would you even inflict pain to yourself?
Why didn't you just ask someone for help.
It's a double standard but no one gets it.
You think one thing but say something else.
How can you be shocked when you find out a friend has a mental illness if you make it obvious you don't want to help.
With our words and our actions, we undermine others' problems, and for what? Because they only exist in your head?
Well if you experience one of these issues, you would see it as ignorance instead.
No one asks for depression, or anorexia.
They just happen to you.
No one asks to struggle being around others'. These illnesses are real issues.
They happen in your head and the root may be in the mind, but it doesn't all stay there.
You feel the pain in your bones, you feel the pain in your toes, in your veins, it's everywhere.
So don't tell someone that they need to toughen up if they are having issues with their mental health.
You don't know how bad the struggle is unless you've experienced it yourself.
You don't get to say it's just in your mind and that you need to get your act together.
And you especially don't get to question why someone never came to you for help and that you could have made them feel better.
You can't shut something down and pretend it doesn't exist and expect people to trust you with their feelings.
You don't get to throw someone's problems under the bus and expect them to come to you for healing.
And don't you dare say that you had no idea someone was struggling so much when it gets to the point of death.
Because you knew, but to you it was never real, it only existed in their head.
But now they are dead and there is no going back, and you know, it could've been prevented.
Because it's hard, you know, when you go for help and all that you get is rejected.
Yeah it's hard to open up to someone else in a society where you're never fully accepted.
Because it's hard, you know, when you go for help and all that you get is rejected.
Yeah it's hard to open up to someone else in a society where you're never fully accepted.
Jul 20, 2015
Jul 20, 2015 at 10:30 AM UTC
Hey girlfriend,
I may not say it often...
when all seem wicked
and when my weekend
was more of a weak end
Girlfriend,
Your words toughen....
my focus & dexterity
Getting the sincerity
my ex won't share with clarity.
Girlfriend,
Your voice softens...
The fear of if it's a dead end?
If this is for my girly girlfriend.
Or my future girlfriend?
Aug 1, 2025
Aug 1, 2025 at 6:02 PM UTC