And sometimes
it all arrives at once.
The anxiety, the fear,
the voices that scratch
your confidence like
a chalkboard and somehow
all the oxygen in the room
suddenly becomes water
and you begin to wonder if
you have what it takes
to grow gills. You wonder
if you can blend in with the fish.
You wonder if you
will ever breathe again.
And the answer is
not every building that shakes
will collapse.
The answer is
not everything that chips
will crumble.
The answer is
this temporary
and yes, you will.