Camera

i’m a photographer
but i’m not any good.
i can never take a selfie that is just quite right;
the lighting is off.
the angles are wrong.
the shutter is slow.

or maybe it’s just me.

my skin is imperfect.
my chin wrinkles.
my mouth naturally frowns.
my ear is deformed.
my hair is flat.
my hips are wide.
my fingers are crooked.
the list goes on.

but perhaps there is one camera
that takes pictures
of me
so that i look in a way that most people don’t see.
and according to its photographer,
i look beautiful.
and this camera has
a pair of lenses you call
your eyes.

the pictures that i take of myself
are always flawed
but according to you,
my camera is wrong.
and even after checking in the mirror
countless times,
the mirror seems to be wrong, too.

and it seems to me that the set of lenses on your face
does not see the flaws that cover my body
but you don’t even use a filter.
i am beautiful and only beautiful.
adorable, you say.

i guess my eyes cannot see myself clearly
for i can only see myself through reflections and pictures.
and even still,
i cannot see everything.

but you do.

you see the smile that lights up at the sight of you walking into the room
and you see the curiosity in my face when a tour guide tells a story.
you see me lose myself in the music i play.
you know what i look like when i am asleep
(and possibly dreaming of you)
and above all,
you see parts of my person that i cannot see–
the parts i am afraid to see.

you see everything.
and you take pictures
and you keep them close
because
you want to remember it all.

perhaps the best camera is the one on your face.
if that is the case, please don’t show anyone the pictures you take.