If I Only Had the Grit!

In this day and age, luminaries like Angela Duckworth and Paul Tough place limitless faith in the power of sheer grit.  In the minds of the "gritophiles," there is very little that cannot be overcome by a good serving of grits, including the ugly twists of fate, the steady and relentless pounding of poverty, severe language deficiencies and special needs.  In that vein, I present, "If I Only Had the Grit!"

When a man's an empty racer,

He should be still the pacer
And yet I feel a pit.
Just because I'm presumin'
That I could be superhuman
If I only had the grit.

I'd be hardy, I'd be mental,
'Til it was detrimental,
Regarding taking sh-t.
I'd be friends with Mister Tough
And the guy who won't say, "Enough!"
If I only had the grit.

Picture me in the army.
Above a voice screams high

(Drill Sergeant)
Get moving now or you'll die!

(Tin Man)
I feel the heat, I'm beat!

Just to register demotion, and lack of promotion
And really suffer through it.
I could stay hurt and broken
And I'd earn less than a token
If I only had the grit.