Hardest Things
By Steven Bates 15 April 2024
Only two things in life are certain facts
Death comes to all as does the tax
Said the statesman in a letter
And no one else could have said it better
Ol' Ben Franklin had a knack
For writing in an Almanac
Though the name he used was Richard Saunders
He was known for all his wits and ponders
But one thing Franklin said the best
That stands to me above the rest
For this, the man should have been a Bard
For he spoke of three things extremely hard
The first he said was that of steel
I know for fact that statement's real
The next he said was a diamond rock
Quite hard they are, so that's no shock
The last he said of the hardest things
Is something that the truth bell rings
He said it's hard for one's self to know
And when in doubt, to this truth I go
Three things hard in life they are
Steel, a diamond, and one's self by far
So do not fret when in depths you sink
Just remember to stop and think
If it's hardest to know your own true self
Then answers aren't found on any bookshelf
You must search hard, your very soul
If knowing yourself is the one true goal
Don't give up on knowing you
Just to thine own, yourself be true
Work hard to be the one you love
And you'll be one that's well-thought-of
Be the one you're proud to be
And soon the hardest thing you'll see
Is that the steel and diamond stone
Are still the hardest man has known
But you would have taken item three
And shown it's not as hard as he
The man, Ben Franklin once had said
Was the hardest thing, to know one's head
You'll have joy and peace of mind
By knowing simply you might find
That Ol' Ben Franklin once was wrong
And the hardest on his list is gone.
To know one's self is not so tough
Just getting there's a little rough
But you can do it, this I know
Ol' Ben Franklin told me so!