Opening up is hard, and the speaker says so right away: sharing this feels risky. They are showing a side of themselves they thought they had moved past, and they admit that old habits sometimes pull them back. That honesty sets a gentle, nervous tone.
Most of the poem is a tug-of-war between two inner voices. The first is vague and creeping, like smoke curling around the brain. It whispers that the listener will see the speaker as wrong or disgusting and leave. The second voice is sharper, "like thorns," and warns the speaker never to show their soft spots after years of building a tough exterior. Against these, a calmer voice offers comfort: people who truly care will worry out of love and stay.
The poem ends by repeating its opening line, only now the speaker is "telling all of this." The fear hasn't vanished, but they have spoken anyway. The mood is anxious yet quietly brave, and hopeful about being accepted.