Some conversations feel like home.
I can speak loudly and free.
My thoughts have a place outside of my head
And I don’t need to tread delicately.

Others are less certain, foreign terrain to traverse
With unseen crevasses, paths, and shortcuts
I offer up each careful contribution
But sometimes they fall flat, and the veil shuts

Sometimes it’s too easy to unfold with good intentions
To raised eyebrows and “anyway”s
And after it happens too often,
It’s easier to shrink than to stay brave.