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.