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.