When Hard Times Won’t Go Away

“When Hard Times Won’t Go Away” is a personal reflective poem about reaching a point where life feels like the hardest level of a game. It moves through exhaustion, comparison, hidden anxiety, and the ache of feeling like a once-capable person under unbearable pressure, before ending in a decision not to quit. The piece is included as part of my writing archive because it reflects resilience, self-observation, and the emotional side of persistence.