Masks Removed (revision)

In the beginning I wanted to be perfect for you.

I would rise early, as you were sleeping,

put on make-up, brush my hair and teeth,

horrified you would have second thoughts

about this brown-eyed Southern girl if you saw the

real me. Then I would climb back into bed, looking

like a soap opera star who never has pillow creases

in her face or hair mussed from too much tossing and 

turning.  Crazy, I know.

Because even in the beginning, I thought you were

perfect. Even with your morning breath, and the

stubble on your chin that scratched me in my most

intimate places. Your mussed up hair gave you a

boyish look that melted my heart and made me want

the man that I had married even more. 

For some reason, I couldn't see pass my own clouded vision of

myself.  I couldn't seem to realize that you would also

love the girl with the tousled hair, removing sleep from

her eyes, still warm from a night of slumber. 

Years have passed and I now know that you do love me

as I am.. bare before you, with my masks removed. 

You love my wrinkles, the specks of gray in my hair, and the

few extra pounds that were not there before. And in this,

I have come to see myself clearly, and love myself well.

Thank you, my love for helping me open my eyes and my heart.