They say, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”

and you want to get tough,

rip bottle caps off

with your teeth,

tattoo “pure pain”

across your knuckles

sleep when you’re dead

join a club

you can’t talk about

drink coffee

as black as your right eye.

And instead,

what you get

is a night guard

for your TMJ disorder

8 1/2 hours of sleep

a special pillow

earplugs

peppermint tea

to soothe your IBS

eating your fruits and vegetables

joining a bicycle club

and talking about it

all the time.

And maybe

it was never about

getting tough

but being human.