They said
there’s something that needs a closer look
a smudge,
a blur on the clean white sheet
of who I thought I was.

I said okay,
but inside, something stood up.
Not fear
something older than that.
Steel in the spine.
Fire under skin.

I’ve carried worse
and walked through louder storms.
This?
This is just a maybe
trying to rattle my windows.

Let it try.