“Oh thank god for the Lo-fi filter, I haven’t been tanning in weeks!”

“Well at least you’re skinny! What am I like, supposed to do?”

…So we hide behind a filter to mask the blemishes and imperfections.

Masking waves of insecurity that relentlessly storm the shores of our minds like the allied troops on D-Day,

We mindlessly adhere to principles that guide us towards assimilation.

We put each other down instead of fighting together in solidarity,

We use harsh and untrue words to make ourselves feel superior.

Well,

I refuse.

I acknowledge but do not accept that it is human nature to want to belong,

To join with the masses and be a part of the “in crowd.”

The formula for being accepted is obvious, even if the act of approval is not.

My rejection of searching for unattainable mass admiration is the center patch of my quilt.

Yet I am flawless because I am distinctive.

I will not change myself,

I will not affiliate.

I don’t need to chemically straighten my unruly curls to imitate stereotypes of beauty.

I don’t need to use “Like” every other word, because I have been endowed with (a well-earned) AP English vocabulary.

I don’t need to hide the fact that reading is my passion because it is “uncool.”

I don’t need to be afraid to speak up when a classmate makes a sexist comment.

I am proud to be a feminist,

I am proud that I love to learn.

I am proud that that I am still discovering the complexities and multiple levels of my character and personality: inadequacies and all.

My pride makes up one corner of my quilt. 

I love coffee with a dash of milk and splenda, the familiarity of Harry Potter, Mexican food followed by a movie on a Friday night, the camaraderie of my soccer team, and the warmth of the covers on my bed.

My pleasures are a second corner of my quilt.

I hate being late,

When folders and binders are unorganized,

The sound of rap music,

And when people are disloyal.

My dislikes are a third corner of my quilt.

I am stubborn,

Have an aversion to criticism,

And become malevolent and scornful when I am hungry.

My faults make up the final corner of my quilt.

No matter the intricate and exceptional combination of

Pride, likes, dislikes, and deficiencies,

All aspects form one flawless individual.

How can one prototype be the basis for all imitation?

We are all diverse patchwork quilts of achievements, oddities, and defects.

I am flawless,

But not because I have perfect skin and perfect hair (which I don’t).

But because even though I excel in some aspects,

I fall behind in others.

What I am proud of comingles with my faults to create

A beautiful,

Original,

Vibrant,

Patchwork quilt,

That I will never,

Ever,

Alter.