If You're The Filter

if my make up and my selfies are

labelled as “filters”

then the people who call them that

should also be labeling themselves as so

because when i filter my appearance

i am only stunting the physical attributes that
this world finds so damn important

so i need to take off my eyeliner

wash off the concealer

so that the world can see whats really important

the real me.

but if thats so

why do these physical filters matter?

the real me is not displayed by my

face nor my photos

it is contained within these filters that are put on me by

the people that stunt my true

thoughts and my feelings

by scaring me out of speaking them

if the world is Angry with me for
laying a preset filter on photos of myself
then they should be Angry with
their actions that makes me feel like i need to
filter my own words

if the world thinks I’m Tricking them with

the way i put makeup on to make myself happy

then they would be disgusted with the
system that makes me conceal how Awful I
feel when i see the hate in their words and their
transparent hypocrisy

and I know that these filters that you have

Come to engrain in me only make me more like you

A bystander an excuser a “turn my head the other way” -er

And I know that it can’t be like that anymore

your unfiltered hatred conflicts with my unfiltered love and

if i were to stand up and speak it

i would only be berated with labels such as

“Social Justice Warrior” and a
“Feminazi” as if trying to create a world that lacks

Prejudice and marginalized hate is something

to be ashamed of and is comparable to genocide

but newsflash

your actions are more comparable to the holocaust than mine
but somehow they are more socially acceptable

maybe because you have no filter and the right to freedom of speech

but is love and acceptance is something i shouldnt teach?

my compassion is something i am afraid to speak

on account of the way i fear that i’ll be treated

So when you’re posting selfies on twitter

With the hashtag “No filters”
Realize its only taking half of the courage it takes me to
To speak

With no filters.