This Deep Breath

I'm good, I promise.
I'm ready to feel,
just please don't touch me.
I'm enjoying this moment
free of tumult;
this moment that's still just me.

This deep breath
can't last forever, I know;
I know I'll be back
in the work of life,
that this distance I hold
won't last,
and shouldn't.

It's as hard to hold onto
as you'll be.
But at least I know who I am.

I can recall my past lives
as I would tongue a sore gum,
or peel a scab.
I know my own pain,
and I know it isn't fatal.

I'm not ready for yours.