When you first told me you loved me, I held my breath
I came into the light and bared my scars
I told you that some had come from the barbed words of other people
I had let their claws sink into me and rip away pieces of me
Other scars had come at the hands of past lovers
Seeking to own me, to break me down into the person that they thought I should be
But other scars had come from me
From seeking atonement for sins I thought I had committed
From emotions that couldn’t be spoken aloud, so instead appeared on my flesh
I showed you the fires I had walked through because I wanted this love to be the final one

And I can still feel your words on my heart as you told me you love me, scars and all