Beneath bravest smiles
lie icy waters
stocked deep
with sinking doubt,
where fearful fish
dart in and out
between sparse sunlight
and shade.

Braving chill,
we dive into water’s depths,
facing failure’s freeze
and triumph’s thaw.
Courage,
forged in icy sea
breaks down
insecurity.

With each ascent
and dive down low,
we learn, we grow,
below the surface,
and strength glows.
No longer faking,
but becoming,
emerging
from the frigid depths.
Confidence summons
our spirits,
once veiled in frost,
to awake unshaken,
no longer lost.