If you take away the filter

The hashtags, the signs

I’m left bereft of options

And put simply, there am I

Half-hidden in the sun

But avoiding the glare

You take my picture neck up

Meet my eyes, my eager stare

The camera wasn’t angled

Not zoomed in or out

Clicking away, clear as day

My nose, my hair, my pout

My tan skin, little red bumps

No filters will hide the marks

That run down my cheeks

My former acne scars

Yet I stand here, a person still

And you, with your photography

Must understand, if you can

What you see: this is me

I may not be picture-perfect

Without my makeup, tired eyes

The camera’s honest tonight

And offers me no disguise

Take in my dark curly hair

The crooked slump of my nose

But can you also feel my passion?

Or my thoughts?  I have those!

My teeth aren’t totally straight

Or white and pure as lace

But I still have a voice you know

Read my lips, read my face

You click a few more pics

Loading up your camera rolls

But you can keep your edits

I bare my face, I bare my soul