and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4
i was afraid of outsiders
and you sent me to a doctor
who had been born overseas.
i was terrified of strangers
and one knocked on my door
every week during the lockdown
bringing a bag full of groceries.
i was nervous about interviewing
for my first job and a teacher
sat down and role-played with me.
i held up the wall at every dance
rubbing my sweaty palms on my clothes
and you nudged the most popular
kid in the class to ask me to dance.
with every person, in every moment,
for every situation where i repeated
my mantra of panicky terror,
you never stopped whispering,
'don't be scared. we've got this.'
(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
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