All You Need to Know Is I am Happy

All you need to know is I am Happy
Then

My reflection sees more than I see.
I do not know my true self
Because something is missing.

“Smile”,
Shoulders straight,
Chin out.

I aim the lens
and with a flash,
I took a selfie!

I wish it was that simple,
To show you that first picture,
But that pimple mocks me.

It takes one more or two or twenty-three.
Finally a decent image of me!
Then I post it for you to see.

You only see what I am comfortable with showing,
But you do not know all there is to me,
And that hat that I always wear is not a part of me.

It is a filter.
It is an illusion.
Created to replace what is missing.

Now

I took another picture recently.
No filter this time,
And it took one try.

Bravely taking a picture
without a filter,
I realized what was missing.

I would show you,
but you don’t need to see,
I did it for me.