There are plenty of tender voices out there
give yourself a break
be gentle
forgive yourself
and I’m all for it
but there is also a time for rigor
the tightrope of effort
when you’ve gambled big
waking up groggy but getting down to it anyways
digging the spurs
into your own ribs
arouse your own authority
don’t let yourself get away
with an indifferent life
author your days
with some strictness
not just in the calibration of details
but as a river moves
as it must
from one stone
to the next.