Not weak, just soft Not bitter, just hurt Not a pessimist, I learned Not lonely but armed with courage to step away from my own shadow if I may walk past its umbra and back to lighter shades Because one minute I’m swimming into hot springs and the next I’m flying in iced skies without wings Chasing warm fronts in snowstorms when I’m a nest, not a Holiday Inn, a Jolly Rancher, not a Junior Mint.