Perfect

There was a time when I thought you were perfect.

You occupied a Mt Everest sized pedestal. 

I would gaze up at you from down below,

through clouds that obstructed my view. 

I could no more see a flaw in you than I could see imperfection in an Angel in heaven. 

Unworthiness kept me from speaking a word. 

Fear held an icy grip on my heart,

for I thought I could never be the one to reach that summit

and stand beside you. 

Ideals of beauty that seemed impossible to attain made me run away. 

Thank you fear for pushing me into action. 

For in my feeble attempts to become worthy of your attention, 

I have come to embrace that I am perfectly, imperfect. 

My worthiness doesn’t come from a mirroring of perfection

but is drawn from the deep well-spring of my heart,

which forever overflows with perfect love for you. 

It’s proven time and time again over the years, 

that no fault or flaw exists in you that would make it run dry. 

I’ve learned that everyone has fear,

even when they appear to have the world on a string. 

We’ve both suffered in attempts to be perfect.

The perfect child, partner, parent, giver. 

I will no longer add pressure to be what we are not,

because perfection is most beautiful when it’s flawed. 

I promise I will no longer hold you to such unreachable heights

that even angels fear to tread,

but I will solidly ground you in unconditional love.

These eyes see the real you now and forever more, 

not perfect, yet eternally perfect for me. 

Written by Marla C. Kelly on January 14, 2020

All rights reserved.

Artwork: Detail of “Romantic Encounter” by Mihaly vin Zichy

10 Comments on “Perfect”

  1. That is so beautiful Marla ! You have many talents , including the gift of writing. And the words you express are so true. I can relate to ever word !

  2. I was just thinking about this yesterday afternoon before I saw this today: about how I put my counter part on a pedestal in the beginning, thinking that this person was way above me. I admired this person so much I created the unworthiness complex for myself. Now I see this person for who she is and it is like I am seeing her for the first time, only in the way it actually is.

    And now, I realize this person feels the exact same way I did in the beginning about me. Admiration for my talents and the feeling of unworthiness. What is interesting is, this is only a few years apart, mirroring each other. A reflection pushing us closer to the most authentic self. Now I see she isn’t perfect. She has flaws and she is much more like me than I had realized. No pedistal, just eyes wide open in acceptance and love..

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