How Tough Has Life Become These Days ... ?!?  

Violence REIGNS With PAIN and STRIFE ... !!!  
You NEED To Be TOUGH To Just SURVIVE ... !!!!!  

Prices ... riSE ... !!!!!  
That's No Surprise And Is NO LIE ... !!!    
  
MANY Sleep While The Rest COMPETE ...
And War's An Excuse To ... Keep The Peace ... ?!?  
  
Wars Just ENSURE That People BLEED ... !!!!!  
Like Terrorist Acts Through Bombing Deeds ... !!!!!!  
  
These Are Things That Make Life TOUGH ... !!!!!  
Like Leaving People To Sleep ROUGH ... !!?!!  
  
Why Try To Bluff If You're NOT TOUGH ... ?!!!?  
Doing That ... Can Get You STUCK ... !!!  
  
You May Get STRUCK ...  
By Lightning ... " DUCK " ... !!!!!!!!!!
  
Tough Luck Son ...  
Like THAT ... You're DONE ... !!!  
  
Life ... These Days ...  
Is Far From ............. FUN ........ !!!  
  
Except I Guess For .... " Comedians " .... ?!?  
  
So Many of Them Now Walk The Streets ...  
And Some Are In The ... " Poetry Scene " ... !!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Well Of Course I Mean ...  
Those Who Feed ... DELUDED Dreams ... !!!  
  
And Lack The Thing That Gives Their Show ...  
A Flow of Jokes That Make Folks ... SCREAM ... !!!  
  
"Give Us MORE !!!"  
  
While They APPLAUD ... !!!!!  
  
It's Tough To JOKE ...  
When Most Are BROKE ... !!!!!  
  
Broken Down By Those Who CLOWN ...
And Keep Making People Pay Pounds ...  
  
For Using Trains ... !!!  
Are They ... INSANE ... ?!?  
  
Trains Are FRAIL And Now DERAIL ... !!!  
While Those In Charge ...  
Are Bailed ... NOT JAILED ... ??!!!??  
  
Courtrooms Like ...  
Train Signals .... " FAIL " .... !!!
Those Who Can't Afford Their Bail ... !!!
  
While Those Who CAN Like ... " Government Man " ...  
Have ALWAYS GOT An ... " Escape Plan " ... !!!!!  
  
I'm Saying .... !!!  
When They've Got SO MUCH ... !!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Does This Mean They Can't Be Touched ... ?!?  
  
Even When They Should Be CUFFED ... !!!!!  
  
Haven't You People HAD ENOUGH ... ?!!!?  
of Having Them ... Just Run A MUCK ... !!?!!  
  
It's Time AGAIN To Use Our Pens .... !!!!  
And ... BUILD OURSELVES ... !!!!!  
Because Governments Cause Us PROBLEMS ... !!!!!!  
What Do VOTERS ... See IN THEM ... ???? ! ?????  
  
Watch Them CLOSE In Parliament ... !!!!!  
Nonsense Used To ... " Supplement " ...  
Their GREED for Dollars Pounds And Pence ... !!!!!!  
  
To Make Life TOUGH For ALL OF US ...  
Women Men And Our Children ... !!!!!  
  
Kids Now Face ENOUGH Problems ... !!!  
It's Tough To See What's Left For Them ... !!!  
  
It's Time To DISMISS ...  
Our ... " IGNORANCE " ... !!!!!!  
  
When We Get OLD And NEED Their Fold ...  
They May Care MORE For ... " Pots of Gold " ...  
Or WORSE The Latest ... " Mobile Phone " ... !!!!!!  
  
While Old People Are Stuck In HOMES ... !!!!!  
  
NOT Their Own But ... " Government Ones " ...  
TRUST ME Folks They're NOT Well Run ... !!!!!!  
  
I've Seen FIRST HAND With My Own Mum ...  
Nurses Are ROUGH And Do Some Stuff ...  
That May Make Some Resort To GUNS ... !!!!!!  
For MISTREATMENT of Their LOVED ONES ... !!!!!!!!  
  
That May Sound TOUGH ... ?!?  
But This Is Where We May End Up ..... !?!  
  
Like The Saying Goes ...  
  
"When the tough gets going  
The going gets ... TOUGH ... !!!"
  
What Does That MEAN ... ?  
  
Well Nowadays It May Mean THIS ... ?  
  
Guns And Clips When Tempers FLIP ...  
Especially When In ... ANGRY KIDS ... !!!!!!!!!  
  
BUSTED Lips More Use of Fists ...  
And YES Of Course ... MORE Gun Bullets ... !!!!!  
  
Is This How You Want To Live ... !?!  
  
Trust In THIS ...  
Right Now I'm PREPARED For It ... !!!!!  
  
I'm NO TOUGH GUY ...  
But DON'T You Try ...    
To See If I'm Prepared To DIE ... !!!
  
You May Just Find I'll CALL Your Bluff ... !?!  
And See If YOU Are ... REALLY TOUGH ... ?!!!?  
  
TRUST ME Folks I've Had ENOUGH ... !!!  
And WON'T Be Taken For A ... MUG ... !!!    
  
You May Just NEED A LOT OF GUNS ... !!!
Cos' ... Just Like SCARFACE I WON'T RUN ... !!!!!!!  
  
Don't Be Surprised If I've Got SOME ...  
Cos' If I Have You May Get STUNNED ... !!!  
When What YOU SEE Is YOUR OWN Blood ... !!!!!  
  
I'm Simply Saying ...  
How We Live Is NOW ... " MESSED UP " ... !?!
  
And As I've Said I've Had ENOUGH ... !!!!!!  
of SEEING US ......................................... IGNORE This Stuff ... !!!  
  
THAT If Addressed ...  
Could Bring Us BACK To ...  
  
... " Peace and Love " ...  !!!
  
And STOP MAKING This Life So .........  
  
........ " Tough " ........ !!!!!

Tough girl isn't afraid of much
Tough girl is strong
And brave
Tough girl has mastered the art of apathy
The science of not giving a ****
She is confident
And swift
Tough girl has trained herself not to care
Walks with confidence
Keeps her head up
She is a whirlwind of resilience
Withstanding each disaster
Every hurricane
She refuses to let the world break her down
Her skin
Is a combination of metals
Her smile, a shield
Bone made of iron
She is incapable of corrosion
Her heart always guarded
She is unbreakable
Knows how to put up a fight
And win
She doesn't give in
And no matter how hard people try
To bring her down
She doesn't let them get to her
But I
Am not her
Our resemblance is uncanny
And I have the ability to pretend
To fake a sense of pride long enough to believe it
A concoction of false courage
And intimidation
But she
Is not me
Tough girl is everything I have ever tried to be
Having spent hours practicing blank stares
And learning how to walk
Like the ground below you isn't breaking
Trying to breathe like there isn't a storm building within
Resistance is a skill I have spent forever trying to build
But I am not solid
I am not tough
I am softness that wears rough around the edges
A jacket built of barriers
With barbed wire skin
All of this protection
And I somehow still manage
To frequently break open
I am not a super hero
I can barely save myself
Let alone anyone else
And as much as I wish I was
I am not tough girl
As much as we look alike
As similar as we seem
I am not she
I care too much
Think too deeply
And love too passionately
But I'm starting to realize
That maybe
It's not such a bad thing
Maybe the girl
I've been trying to be all along
Is not as put together as she seems
Those who appear fine
Are often the ones coming apart at the seams
I may not be tough girl
But I can still make believe.