All The Parts

“And I remember. You knew what you wanted.
Good and bad, you wanted me.
All the parts of me.”

And I remember. I remember the way you looked at me that first time. The way you seemed to get lost in my eyes. The way you could see beyond everything I was and into the darkness. I suppose that’s what I felt in that moment, as my heart refused to beat and the air that remained in my lungs began to burn. I was afraid of what you would find in those depths. I was afraid you’d see those broken parts of me and decide I wasn’t worth the trouble. But that didn’t happen. You just looked and watched, and took it all in like it was the most precious thing you’d ever seen. At long last, when those few seconds that felt like an eternity ended, your steadfast determination never faltered. You knew what you wanted. Good and bad, you wanted me. All the parts of me.

© Sarah Doughty

I still remember
how that moment felt.
And I remember how I was
both elated and terrified
at the same time.
Thank you for choosing me
— all of me.