nofilterscholarshipslam
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No one can begin to fathom my life today,
Running, rushing to get to that place someday
I can be bossy and loud,
But I’m not asking you to tone me down.
I may be harsh and sarcastic,
But my edges don’t need to be smoothed.
The world has exposed me to so much,
Valencia, slumber, and inkwell
Shades and tainted images hide well
The blemishes and marks that always dwell
Lest depicting realness, an uncensored weakness
Parents view me as the "outgoing, polite and confident" young woman they wish their child would aspire to be.
2015
New Year New me
But who is ‘me’ when no one can see?
We got layers of layers of stuff in the way.
No one hears what you actually say.
There’s fronts, make up and filters on that.
No filter
No control.
I don't choose to look like I do.
With dead eyes.
And an empty smile.
No filter
No control.
I did not ask for this.
My frame too large for photo encasing.
Thumbs flinting over the phone screen
Black words on white background
I've learend to decipher tone and mood from texts alone.
The buzz of my phone a comfort to the silence of my reality.
Tap Tap Tap
Me.
I am me.
From the little sprouts on the top of my head,
To the toes on my feet, almost hanging off the bed.
I am the only me there is, no one compares.
I am the only me there is, the only one that bares.
2012
I am the subject of a tragedy.
My dark brown eyes look down to hide the pain.
The frown upon my lips urges you to turn away from me.
I flinch at your affection, because I've seen 'love' hurt people.
Faking life
is all I do
is all they do
for fake is true
they entrap the weak
and rape the poor
all so they can score their whore
the slime and filth
their dirty green
I am not perfect
But I have identified my flaws
I have bipolar disorder
I have depression
But I do not let it control me
I am Passionate
I am loving
This is me.
pale
boring brown eyes
unordinary brown hair
imperfect skin
a little chunky,
but who cares?
This is just ME!
standing out
I can’t remember the last time I cried,but I can remember the feelingof an empty chest. Seven in the morning
I'm a man with low tastes
I play games all day
And sleep all night
I like the way i am
But others don't
I eat junk food and stuff my face
I never consider healthy crap
A filter on a picture is like a curtain covering up a stage; everyone admires it with a mundane sense of awe, until the courage to open the curains is formed, and every onlooker falls in love with what lies beneath.
I am me
Plain and simple
Born October 1996, 2 weeks early
Into an environment nobody wants to talk about
My name?
It means warrior
And my mom swears I'm am strong like one
Every one near, listen!
And hear,
I've got a topic up for discussion,
that will make some of you start blushin'
I'm not what I seem
I seem like I don't like people
the truth is I love people
I've just been hurt by the ones
I've let too far in
I seem as though I'm harsh and critical when
Who am I?
I am Jasmine Crosby.
Who is she?
She's an independent, strong, African American who can be stubborn but is very determined.
She is that one person whose mind you change once she has made it up.
Don't fight me cause I'm noone.I'm the face u see when u look n the mirror.I'm the light that shines to the darkness but yet im noone.I'm something to someone but noone to myself.I'm
I'm not going to start this off with the typical line of "Who am I?", because I know who I am.
With no filter I am me,
Sailing far beyond the seas.
Just me being me,
Just me being set free.
With no filter I can breathe.
I am lonely but I am free.
There are a thousand things I want to scream at you
make you understand the pain you put me through:
The bullet in my head and
the crevice in my heart.
You said you loved me,
I am a raging fire,
Flames spit and hiss
They are destructive,
They are passionate,
They are
Me.
I am a tranquil ocean,
Timid is new to me,
You bring your presence near and I tremble from nervousness.
I am strong and outspoken yet I blush when you come close.
Who are you?
Tell me where you are.
You are everywhere and I am not
I never dismiss the different
I don't see a lunatic
Just one who punched their lunar
ticket early
All this observing was worth
the lurking
This world is just a circle, a
I accept it.
I use it to Learn,
To Make me angry
So I can use that anger
To Drive me forward
to make me even more determined
It has Helped me countless times
By Teaching me how:
My personality is not defined by the
Limits of society.
Wrapped up into a box
With a bow tied around it, I am strong, and independent.
Living the life I am choosing and taking a
Difficult journey,
I remember when I used to show you pictures of deprived girls,
With ribs that protruded like the fingers of a rake
And you’d give me this dumb look and say things like,
“That’s a little unrealistic, don’t you think?”
Im finally finding myself, im finally finding myself, I was alone once upon time yes trapped inside my mind.
With no filter, I am me.
Me is I, and I is she.
She is me, and I love me.
Me is amazing at listening to others.
She loves to borrow clothes that are my mother’s.
The world as I see it,
unfiltered,
is not shown through our screens
is it?
My freckled face,
unfiltered,
is now in valencia
framed?
What happeed to the light
from the sun up above?
Feeling so heavy at times you can barely breathe
You worry you stress then try to lay down with all that and rest
You see their struggles It eats at your soul
This world we live in is so cold
USA land of free
As a boy I was always told to get a great career and always make sure that I am on the path towards success.
As a teen I was told to stay out the streets, keep my head in the books, and to do my best.
Helpless she cries
As the family she has loved
Is torn apart with two words.
It's over.
She cries to herself
Too quietly to be heard
And says two words.
Why me?
I'm six foot one
Lots of fun
That is how I am known to everyone
But I am more than just a number
I'm a person who will leave you with wonder
I've fought battles with myself
I wonder what its like for a guy to strike out
To finish the night with haze and doubt
What is the attraction if not physical
With these cold hearted whymsicals
What it feels like for them
What Am I In My LIFETIME?
Living life
In an everlasting fear
From what I think
Everybody else
Thinks about me
Instead of what I mean to the
Many that find me
Essentially PERFECT.
No filter
Without process, instant or tonal
we can all be beautiful.
I hate all the people
but I never tell them
all these people hate me
I've always hated the saying it will be okay because it almost never is.... i tell people that im okay im fine its all in my mind but the truth is thats all just an act....
She plays with the ends of her hair and laughs out loud;
I am careful to hide the crooked smile of which she is somehow proud.
She loves colors and dresses she can twirl in;
I drown in dark colors and drab cardigans.
I am but a dot in a mosaic of bottled blood and cultural variation, there is no room for compliance, for heeding to society’s creed only leads to monotonous existence.
And it gets boring.
This is for the girl that I use to see.
The fat, awkwardly tall girl I use to be.
The one who looked in the mirrior and didn't notice the beauty inside of she.
My insecurities had me locked in but I finally found the key.
#NoFilter
Behind the filter who am I?
Behind the rose tint and the tweaked waist who am I?
I am the scars that decorate me face
For they tell MY story
I am each little curl in my hair
There's this girl I know
She's perfect in every way
She will help me up when I'm down
and listen to what I say
This girl I know of,
has beauty beyond compare
The world around us,
It’s filtered every day,
Turning it Black and White.
The personality of the
Person next to you
Hidden by the social norms.
Our very thoughts,
AM I JUST INSANE
I'm different, thats ok, thats good,
That means i know what's understood,
But how different do you have to be to considered crazy?
I just think other people are wrong,
You know how people
take a look at
themselves
and see the bad, the ugly
scrapes and scars
cellulite and stretched
marks along the craters and curves of the
body
I see all of that and
Here I stand
All of me for you to see
I will hide nothing
I have nothing to hide
I am strong
but have moments of weakness
I work hard
but at times I stumble
I believe in others
For the most part I am #nofilter,
Only filter I have is the one on my choosing of words,
Held back by a smile so white you’d think I get my teeth bleach.
We are who we are.
We are not the likes we get on insstagram.
We cannot measure our beauty by the retweets our pictures get on twitter.
We are stong and beautiful.
The diploma is handed back to the principal,
I walk backwards into my seat.
I celebrate my 17th birthday before I celebrate my 16th.
Tock, tick. Tock, tick.
My teacher hands me the grade before I've taken the test.
No filter needed
No black and white
Your the one who makes life completed
You make everyday bright
God made you this way for a reason
He took time to make you
Your beautiful no mater what season
In the third grade we were told to memorize our times tables.
Off of the top of my head I can tell you that 6* 4 is 24 and 11*3 is 33,
But hell sometimes I still forget what 9*6 is.
i hold up my phoneat arms length,because i spent a little effortputting my outfit togetherand admittedly,i want to show off a bit.
Individuality lost with a press of a button
Creativity limited by the boarders of a screen
Beauty eclipsed by filters
An attempt to imitate perfection
Has become the new trend
That brought an end
My face is viewed but my personality is unknown
People judge me as if they know me because they’ve came across a picture of myself on their phone
Refuses to put make up on her face.
Refuses to wear anything nice
I would rather stay in a sweater and sweat pants all day.
I am insecure
I am stressed
What is the cure for all this mess?
My hair is matted, as if swept by a tornado in the night,
My sleepy eyes squint through the bright morning sun,
Arch your back
Now pout your lips
Wait, wait move your shoulder near your chin
Now click
That’s your typical instagram pic
It’s a process
I admit I sometimes hide behind filters
Let's be straight here
I don't come from a broken home
I didn't grow up on 8 mile road
And I don't hail from Brooklyn
or Flatiron, or the Bronx
But I have a story too
Wipe off the carefully proportioned eyeliner from the crevices of your cherished eyes Clear the golden sparkle of magic from your promising eyelids Remove the vol
Concealed behind every layer of skin is a story.
A unique, inspirational lesson learned
waiting to unveil itself,
just waiting for the layers to be peeled back.
Every heart beats the same.
Dang it...what day is it? It's only Thursday? (Seriously?)
Okay okay, I'm getting up. Shoot...not enough time to get ready. (Eh, I can do it).
A quick shower, throw on my school's uniform, brush my hair and teeth.
Without a cover.
My flaws come to light.
I no longer have a disguise.
Look at me ! I'm just a mess!
Who is she?
That girl in my mirror?
Staring back at me with those tired eyes
And that big pimple on her cheek
Things that the filters on instagram could fix in a heart beat
Look at your reflection.
Tell me, what do you see?
Surely it's not perfection
But how could that be?
Banging, Clanging, Singing,
Lyrical tunes spinning,
That’s how I think, not how I write.
Restricted by society,
They say “Don’t say”
They say “Do say”
I like it
When you go to a movie with me
And you come out sparking and fizzing
About how the part with the helicopters was so awesome
And why didn’t they DEVELOP the love interest
And I feel
Follow me on Instagram
@ Insert nickname, 3 hearts and a winky face
I post every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
And I just wanted to say, that I love all of my haters.
See her beauty, how it radiates throughout her.
Her smile, the most beautiful they say. Similing at anyone who crosses her path.
Her laugh; a contagious, light- hearted laugh that can warm your soul.
This is a picture taken by me,
It is a picture of me,
But I do not like what I see.
My face is too round
My complexion is too shiny
My acne is showing
My nose bridge is flat
The lies the world tells of us,
The lies we tell ourselves,
The lies we paint on our faces,
The lies that dictate who we become.
A world that watches every angle,
In the lonely hour I cry, I laugh, and I fake a smile.
In the lonely hour I run from my fears like a fool making people laugh in which I'm the fool myself.
If you stepped inside my mind,
Through my staring brown eyes,
You would see the filter fall.
When I look inside my mind, I see the clutter, the disorder, and the beauty of all that I have become.
That is what we all want to see when we look in the mirror.
Perfection is nothing short of a dream.
Dark eyes, dark hair;
The spitting image of Dad.
Grandpa jokingly says,
"Maybe you'll grow out of it."
Just maybe.
But I'll always be a daddy's girl.
Pick a spot
Pick an experiment
I llive my life wearing a mask.
I have for years.
I wear it because without it
The world would see my fears.
I put on a strong face
I say nothing can hurt me.
But that is so far from true.
No filter needed, no filter
wanted.
My body, my face, and my beauty shine effortlessly
without
effort, to cover up what I should be shining
out.
Outside I don´t conform, I accept and
neglect
I have no use for filters
I could not care less about them
If you need one to see yourself
Then who are you without them?
Cary Grant did not need one
He looked sharp in any tone
In a dream of yesterday I see
I am not he I was born to be.
Diluted and changed, I'm now someone
Who's merely a speck beneath the sun.
Altered by those who promised me good,
I'm a fucking mess, did you know
You didn't, I don't think,
Let me show you the smile I hide behind
So you can tell me how familiar it looks
Because you've seen it every day that
I've known you
My face with no filter is a face I am proud to post
My freckles and my blush are the things I love the most
Many people say I could use some cover-up
But nothing beats the smile I bring when I want to say wassup
My family used to have a fish tankfilled with cute little fishiesthat were more of a hindrance than a convenience:clean the tank clean the tank clean the tankmy parents chanted, a laborious prayer
Webster’s’ Illustrated Dictionary.
Published 1954.
470,000 words.
Page 98.
In between the word caitiff,
a coward,
and cajole,
to persuade with flattery,
She walks down the street
With a skip in her feet
Smiling at the people that passed her by; they turned the corner
She released a deep sigh
She waited until they were gone
And then the tears fell
You ask who I am,
No filter?
Just a girl , interrupted,
Off kilter.
I am sweatpants and no makeup,
Eating ice cream after breakups,
I am a world traveler in my mind,
Everybody sees me--
At least, they think they do...
Everybody loves me--
but not they way I'd like them to...
My legs were giving out.
They felt so heavy while they pounded on the green turf.
They flexed over the 50 yard mark,
the 80 yard mark
and soon the 100 yard mark.
With exhaustion,
they say the eyes are the window to the soul,
maybe that explains why hers are so cold.
she stumbles through he world each and every day
hoping to soon find her way.
How do I sound?
Through the smile I place on my face
Sometimes I sound like tears (I’m choking back)
From the strain of all of this weight on my shoulders
No filter, no filter,
Can't you see me
Sepia, 4 by 6
I need to read me.
"No cameras, please"
Can't you see me,
I have leaned back 40 degrees
Gesturing towards the background, see?
how do you desceice to someone
something they have never felt?
the tortures existens that god hath delt me
each day i promise myself that i will make it threw the day
one step at a time.
On the inside hallucinations are created, a sense of clarity while the others stay sedated.
Graphite hits paper, scribbles take form, even the beauty he’s known has to grow horns.
The first time I did i was prepared
I'd tried my best just to impress
No shirt on and my messy hair
With a quick judgement I thought this was my best
Surely everyone else will think the same
My name is Brandon and I am a runner.
I run, I work, I learn.
I am always moving, even while asleep, and love to be outdoors.
I love learning and growing and always knowing.
I've been underwater all my life. It is all I have known. Breathing used to be easy, a simple catch and release.
Until she floats to me. Or perhaps I swim to her.
Her hand feels cool and soft in my own.
A lot of people know me as
@haleythebirdie singing "All That Jazz"
Or lockedinabirdcage
Analyzing why paper beats rock
And for those followers, I am on stage on the web when I talk
Or 15byerha
you began to undress me
and as each button of my blouse becomes undone
a sliver of some imperfection slips past
my possessions that once possessed me settle in a pool around my ankles
We all knowthere's always room for improvement.But filters and makeup?Those are more like cover ups!
Music is my voice
Lyrics are my words
A mermaids rejoice
In a broken world
My infectious laughter pollutes the air
Jumping in imagination
With love and hope everywhere
Creating inspiration
So, you want to know about me, who I am.
You want to know the girl I see when I look in the mirror,
The girl who no one knows except for me.
After the mask is shed at each day's closure,
Let’s take a swim
In the Ocean of Me
And from surface to bottom
We’ll see
My normal and strange
My average and special
My sides from all angles.
Look from above toward
You can tell me what to wear,
Casual converse, lipstick, hoody,
I don't care--
I will be me.
You can tell me how to walk,
Straiten my back,
Like it's a rod,
I'll still be me.
The tablet hovers before my face
And captures it with an audible click
a still reflection of me
will join a sea of photography
and my lungs are about to be flushed
with eyes that are thirsty for their
Pick this up
Pick that up
Shut your mouth
Women should be seen
Not heard.
Make me tea
Make me breakfast
Make me tea
Make me lunch
Make me tea
Make me dinner
Behind the beige powder, behind the jet black liner,
Behind the brave brown eyes, behind the fake smile,
There is a girl.
Aside from the straight auburn hair, aside from the sculpted brows,
I am the better side of darkness and the dim side of light.
I didn’t KNOW my blackened heart had a sense of what was right.
I am closing walls and open doors,
A memory painted on the windows of your soul
In any color you like, as long as it is a shade of black.
I am discontinuous, a broken mirror
Slowly scrolling through,
those pictures don't even look like you.
Tainted and changed,
edited again...
That isn't you in that photo,
all of your changes are for show.
Media allows for creativity
Who am I?
Am I perfect
No
Am I confident
No
Am I a lier
No
But I am smart
I am unique
And maybe a little shy at times
I do not fake my personality
I show my true colors
Without that FLASH in my face
Without the MAKE-UP stuck on my skin
That is when you SEE the Authentic ME
Colorless is how people should appear to a police officer’s view
Offender’s skin shouldn't make a difference in the end its true
Colorless is how people should appear to a police officer’s view
Offender’s skin shouldn't make a difference in the end its true
Once upon a time there was a princess who was locked in a tower longing to be rescued
Except I’m too fucked up to be a princess
And when princesses cry it looks pretty and delicate and
When I do my eyes swell
This poem deviates slightly from the suggested topic explaining, instead, the psychological state of adolescents and women in this day and age who aspire to a level of perfection that doesn't exist and how the failed attempt to do so leads to
A boy lost in fantasy,
That is I.
What is reality,but an inverted thought
to a melancholy view.
The universe is calling,
for adventure and mayhem-so no more stalling.
But that is not all,
Jesus walks with in me day by day
When I show them the real me they say it's not okay
They say it's weird and awkward to show who you really are
We are expected to be full of ourselves.
We are expected to show the world only
What it wants:
Perfect People,
Queens,
Godesses.
Like prisoners on a hunger strike
Truth of Lightning
We think we know who we truly are,
When in fact we have always have
And always will be,
Brainwashed.
Now, now let me explain,
Defines not the whole of my being.
Hosts the absence of vitality and worldly beauty.
Yields contrived images of darkness and the unknown.
Fulfills past shadows of forgotten spirits.
My soul is trapped inside a barbed wire box
and I cannot breathe
The skulls in the closet of the back of my mind sneering
Within the consticting walls of social media, I am merely but a single soul, "desperate for attention because I am out of the range of society's normalities."
How about you take a closer look before your fill your mouth with judgement.
I’m sorry I cry.
Please try to ignore it for now.
And just know I’m sorry.
You’ve never seen this in me.
To you, I am joy.
Every day I bring the happiness and laughs people love.
Maybe I'd look happier, a little more confident.
Like a princess, awakened from a hundred years of Slumber.
Radiant and ready to RISE against the world.
As beautiful as a WILLOW tree.
There are times when I feel worthless
And others that I'm the queen
There are days when I feel useless
What do you see,When you look in the mirror?You see you,And I see me.We are different,That is perfect,And how it's supposed to be.
I am not what people see
I hide secrets like everyone else
Afraid of what they might think of me
You think you know me
You believe I’m like you
Well you couldn’t be more wrong
About the subtext of my psychology
I painted a life sized mural in my room. Of a lost soul. I made my own paint it was bright red with specks of brown. I don't care about how The cow jumped over the moon, if ball is really life or why the chicken crossed the road.
One look at me and what do you see?
A high school senior just skating by?
The captain of the cheer squad with her pony tail up high?
Do you see the supportive sister of two young soccer players?
I am insecure.
I am retarded.
I am artistic.
I am so Hipster.
I am a Goth.
I am a Skater.
I am a prune.
I am the devil
and your favorite whore.
I am a guardian angel.
It all started out when I was quite small
And knew I wanted to be an actress.
For a while I was shy and reserved around all,
But then opened up in my high school classes.
They want to know the real her
But I don't know the person myself
We can start slow
Like waking up on a Saturday
By describing her as a light
She radiates life and brings warmth everywhere she goes
Natrual beauty is what I favor
Foundation hides my outside beauty spotlight
Mascara covers my lashes in a sticky maneuver
Blush conceals my dimples from sight
I will still be Beautiful inside and out
It took eighteen years to realize I didn't need anyone's approval
That my appearance had nothing to do with my personality
That I didn't need to edit my photos because I am perfectly fine with the way I've grown
To truly unlace me,
Without the fuzzy filter
Is to find a girl who constantly wants more from herself.
She has so many goals,
All of which will benefit those around her,
Under the make- up. Beneath the filter.Behind the forced smiles.
Is a girl.A girl who’s not so sure of herself.A girl who loves to make
When surrounded by the people I love and trust most, I am outgoing and very loud. Put me in a room of people I am not close with, and I do not make a sound. Through social media posts, you can see the real me.
I look to the sky for a dream, the stars seem to yell surrender. My generation has lost its roots, our world is yelling timber.
I wanted them to see me as art
to stand in awe and marvel
at the thought that such beauty existed
but i am not a monet
i am not a picasso
and as they realized that
18 Feb 2014
I sit here in class,
thinking about your past,
my past. Relationships
are difficult and so
are my thoughts. Too much for you?
I questions your questions
Feet that are super huge, put me a step ahead of the competitionLegs that are long, lavish and lead me to the futureAnd a head so large, brain that will lead me to be a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthiest
i am the one they call strange
annoying
weird
different
i am the girl who is ignored
unwanted
unneeded
i am the one who doesnt grow up
i probably never will
Every day I accent the same flawless imperfections of my own personal style
A ten-dollar ring from a gift shop in Gulf Shores
A black leather, metal studded bracelet from the same shop
I think far too often
There's no room for all of it in my bone skull
Some get pushed out into words
Mostly the shallow, people pleasing, floating on the surface things that human conversation lives off of
I like to think I am unique,
that without filters I am that much more special than everyone else.
But I am not more special than everyone else,
because that is an oxymoron.
Everyone is special and unique,
I am who I am no excuses.
My outer cannot my inner make.
Take away my sprinkles
Colorful and cute in design
I am still a cupcake
Sweet and rich and divine and wholesome to my core
Every day I put a mask on my face.
I pick out my flaws and try to erase
The "imperfections" our society has set.
Impossible standards that have yet to be met.
So who am I behind the mask?
Powerful and Strong,
She controlled the room.
She was Queen of her audience,
I feel unnoticed
The girl who stares at her feet while she walks the halls
The one trying to get through another day just like you
I know all of your names
but do you know mine?
why would you need to anyway?
At 5"1 I like to say
My height is classified.
That's why I like social media
All those "flaws" you can hide.
If you were to ask about the real me,
I'd roll my my brown eyes and shake my tiny head,
If I controlled time I would walk
Walk to that day,
that place,
that time.
Press pause.
If I froze time I would see
See her mid-run,
that park,
that tree.
Press play.
I’m just a kid from So-Cal.
First in my class,
But not by much.
I bite off more than I can chew
Because I don’t see it as such.
I play sports,
To escape from reality.
It’s a form of catharsis
I’m just a kid from So-Cal.
First in my class,
But not by much.
I bite off more than I can chew
Because I don’t see it as such.
I play sports,
To escape from reality.
It’s a form of catharsis
Authenticity is a rarity.
When looking clearly you often don't see
The parts of me I try to hide
From you and from society.
Take a look behind the curtain,
Glimpse the person you thought you knew,
My hair is too curly
So I straighten it
The light washes me out
So I dim it
I put on my makeup
And strike my pose
Bet you'll never see the real me
Under these fake clothes
#labelme
#figureme
#guess
Who am I?
Title me
Give me your dish
Tell me who I am
Tell me who you see
Covered book
Hidden book
Story full of pix
#white
#female
Be yourself
following trends
let the trends follow you
follow the leader
let the leader follow you
be yourself
because no one else can
News styles flood our stores and closets every day, but what you wear won't hide your dismay.
You dye our hair, paint your face, and try to act like someone you are not,
As tears fall down my cheek erasing my make-up stained skin,
My finger clicks "delete" that forces the last of my inferior selfies down a cyber bin.
Filters gone, now you see my true beauty,
its not on the outside, but within.
Within I am clean, I am whole, I am not
artificial.
Without filters, I am me.
Shattered, broken, betrayed
If you asked me on a bad day who I am I'd say that
Determined, passionate, loving
If you asked me on a good day who I am I'd say that
Freckles,
They crowd my face.
A new one always ready to join.
Sometimes.
I feel there is no more room on my face.
All my thoughts can amount to the dots on my face.
The smiling face in pictures
On the websites that you see…
Who is that?
That is me.
But,
I am my own Obsession. I am a new work of art in the every day tick tock tick tock seconds of life.
When I wake up, I am my own Obsession. I'm determined and bright and willing to,
I am a prodigal son
Though my chromosomes read double X's
Despite what my sex is, I am still prodigal
Not in the sense of wasting dollar bills on gambling teams
Or quarters on slot machines
Take off the filters layered on a picture
and when wiped away all that barely remains
is the thin frame bruised by words,
and a cluttered dark mind that manages
to produces fields of wildflowers.
Many different people like lots of different things.
Some like fame or TV
Others like rain when it goes
drip
drip
drop
down on your window.
But me?
I love words.
A step in one direction can lead to a path of endless possibilites and contentment. For as long as you hold the willingness to attempt to walk this path.
Everyone believes that filters make themselve look better
No one looks at the true beauty behind the big bulky sweater
Some people appear to be "flawed"
but you don't see what their life has been like;
You don't see their pain, or their strugge, or their loss
Living that 32 GB lifestyle,
posed photos taking up my space.
Out to dinner? Let’s take a pic…
They all look the same
Family, friends, or coworkers hopping in the shot
I am all that I want to be.
I am the creator of my universe.
I am the owner of a beautiful home which is my body.
I have so much control on what, who and how I want to be.
Thus, I am a goddess.
When time dawned first for me
A cry tore from blameless lips
Unbeknownst to I, naïve
That nothing pure remains
Indeed, the world blew through my lungs
Such earthly wisdom I inhaled
Eyes hold lies
Ears hold lies
It is not only the mouth that holds lies
Whatever you're seeing is wrong, YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL
Whatever you're hearing is wrong, YOU'RE WORTHY
Raped by the words of my brothers and sisters.
Their eyes watch as I fall.
But I will be the one laughing,
As I rise higher than they ever could.
Constantly worrying about others’ needs.
What about me?
Standing straight up with a
Glowing smile. Eyes wide open,
Seeking the light that shines through
Every negative remark made toward me.
“Too skinny!”
“Eat a sandwich!”
Oh, but I do eat.
Taking a picture day in and day out little imperfections
Quickly to be corrected hide the true beauty waiting to be discovered
On this block
She is not the one
Being flocked at
Through and through
Do not let them fool you
Strong to the core
Oh you can surely adore
Looking straight on
Am I what people say I am
Am I what people want me to be
Am I who I think I am
Am I who I want to be
If there is a reason
For us to grow
As people and spirits
From the ground below
Our flaws make us human
They smother our skin
But not in harm
But to help us win
Each mistake
Nature is a mystery,
but I am unique.
The world spins around in an orbit,
but my head spins through imagination of wild stories.
Out of boredom, the weather becomes a hectic storm,
They say there was a bang
And Earth appeared
In a black blanket
Of billowing stars,
Shimmering gas.
Then we did,
Erect in a crooked world,
Painting love on the walls,
a) Your ugly!!
b) Thank You!!!!
a) Your too skinny?
b) Thank You!!
a) You will never amount to anything!!
b) Thank You!!!
I am so terribly,
deathly, afraid,
of what when unfiltered
my mouth should say.
Do I speak such terrible truths…
of honest opinions of wistful youths?
Or do I lay upon such speech
We are not teens
Quit settling for less
We are to be treated like queens
Let's stop letting little boys be our stress
Hold our heads up wear our crowns
This is our year
Leave that clown
I stay the same underneath,
What my selfie seems to be.
Whether on or offline
My smile stays the same.
I am the player,
And Instagram's the game.
Underneath the clothes and shining light.
Without filter, I am free
without camera, I am me
I am everything that is exactly who I'd like to be
Without selfie, I am self
A wonder in and of itself
I listen to the same music
Over and over
I must be insane
I listen to the sounds of smiles
Echos of a multitude of factors
Footsteps on old, tough stairs
Without a filter it would not be,
A good idea to show the inside of me;
When I'm sad or mad, without a doubt,
Everyone knows it cause' it just comes out;
I cry, mumble, or feel hurt inside,
I close my eyes, the light of day goes dead.
The whisp’ring voices prey upon my fear.
They tick and click and cry and caw and toil.
The daunting men do hiss inside my head,
I am here to undo my mistakes.
To let you enter my world
Since I made the mistake of leaving you out.
My life is not the easiest
But it's not the hardest one either.
I have a life where I can do what I want
they like the people
shaken
not stirred
but people are better off
empowered
than insured
and who are they anyway
because they
I started with low self-esteem and braces.
I started with a small group of friends, with no boys allowed.
I began to notice how I wasn't noticed.
I was background noise in a movie theater.
I was quiet and awkward.
Among the crowd i walked
but yet i feel alone
My world stand still
as the clock ticks
My direction. purpose.
all seen to be of enormity
What is life when the world
Without black eyeliner and pink lipstick,
Which filter? That is the question I ask myself for every photo
Knowing that everytime I alter my appearance for others
My self-esteem gets lower
Every scar has a story
Each one making me who I am today
Scars that me stronger in a very different way
Each one having an impact on me
My scars might not be beautiful
But they are a part of who I am
i am a God...
now read that again...
I am A God, but not the God...
I am made in his image and his likeleness...
I do not poses all of his powers and ido not control who stays and who goes...
I always said…
The only way people could really see through me is if I was shot 50 times in the chest
Through those bullet holes you could see police lights and my mom screaming she’s dead
I am from the color of my brown skin
I am from the color of my brown eyes
I am from my Mexican race
I am from my petite body size
I am God's design
I am ME
I am from my heart that beats for true love
We're held back and
stopped by the reds but go
forth when we're beckoned
by the green.What have we become?
Where caution tape decides
where we can and cannot
Tried but true with the gentle honesty hidden within my grin,
light green eyes that lookout to see the world from within.
Slightly pink skin aging slowly with wisdom,
What are the guidelines for "good grades"?
What is the ideal weight?
What is the ideal height?
These will be answered in numbers
Numbers do not matter though
Underneath the filters
Underneath the makeup
I am not who I appear to be
The girl people see
I am not always smiling
My hair not always perfect
Who am I? I'm no one
I'm someone, that no one sees
I'm outgoing
And I'm "here"
So why do I feel invisable?
Because my name isn't my name
My face doesn't look how it should
We have all been told
do things before you are old.
We sit here and laugh in their faces
and continue to walk at leisurly paces.
We go through elementary, middle, and high school.
Wake up, get ready, Go out.
Smile, Conversate, Engage.
Leave, Sleep, Repeat.
These things I do,
I say I love, Bring me pain everyday.
Wake Up.
Wake up to a world of hate and pain.
I am... smart funny cool.
I am... more than just a number more than just who you expect me to be
I am... special and ia m free of your judgement
I am... only me
Who could describe me better than myself?
Is it my stay at home mother who keeps me happy and fed?
Or my little brother that drives me crazy?
How bout the best friend that lives miles away?
A number on the on continuing time spectrum.
Defying who we are. Pant sizes, class rank, GPA
all these numbers saying where you are.
Numbers telling you how pretty you are
What is human existence?Is it to pronounce our unfathomable desires in a rush of uncertainty?
I've always been an introvert,
an only child doesn't have much practice,
I've never been an extrovert,
I don't exactly follow the media's popular example,
My dad thinks I'm ugly,
Boy's never really liked me,
When I was born, my father looked me in the eyes and could only manage the word, "wow" out of his dry lips, because he knew immediately that I was going to be a handfull.
The word flawless is thrown around and I'm not one to be touched on easily. If you want to make my eyes wide and my jaw drop then call me improbable or delicate because those words are true.
I was hiding in bed, screaming at myself to get up [in my head] at 11 AM
when my friend came into my dorm so we could meet up to get brunch.
I heard her linger for a few seconds, then slowly leave.
Vignette, grey-scale, sepia, vintage,
always hiding behind the filter.
Air-brush, inkwell, face bright, spot healing,
feeling pretty behind the filter.
Social media filled with thousands of pictures,
Four walls and a register ....That never fails to show me...it's inner most partsFlawlessTis truly a wondrous form of captivationMechanical contemplation...
I look at me and I see scars
I look at me and I see fright
I look at me and I see exhausten
Do I truely see
Or am I blind
Can I really see
I thought I was ugly
I thought I was trash
From womb to tomb
to soon to assume the latter part
the past few years of my life could seem rather dark
factor in all the things that seem to be an after thought
it makes me feel like I can still rise after all
I don’t wear makeup, it’s true.
I won’t cover my face with goo.
It feels weird, and is such a task,
but all the same, I wear a mask.
What I hide behind it is not my face.
The ticking time tricks all
The music holds true our steady beat
As we all produce our sounds
How many beats per minute from all
I am a perfect imperfection.
Flawless I am.
I am my own simple selection.
Flawless out of nothing to somehing like bam .
I am unique in my own way.
Be who you are.
I perch on a blanket underneath a huge oak tree ,
Watching interesting individuals pass by me.
I quietly laugh to myself as the popular girls at school walk by in a heard,
I perch on a blanket underneath a huge oak tree ,
Watching interesting individuals pass by me.
I quietly laugh to myself as the popular girls at school walk by in a heard,
I look in the mirror and what I see is me.
The socially anxious, self-criticizing, big dreamer
that is me.
A guy with high aspirations and strong morals
but always thinks he’s wrong.
I choose to be Naked.
First went my phone with a burst ,
my luminous guide darkened.
Flawless,that can’t be true.What’s good for me,may not be for you.
Let me tell you about flawless…Flawless is flawed.It is dented and scratched,bent and broken.
underneath the makeupthe cozy leggingsthe french-braided hairand the swimsuit,i'm not a full person.i have early onset arthritismy knees crackmy shoulder has been tornin two places
She sits and wonders to herself,
How she wishes she were someone else.
Her hair as flat as books she reads
And eyes the shade of polluted seas.
Turns on the computer and there she finds
In person I am a wallflower
Introverted, doing my best to go unnoticed
Keeping to myself and a book because that's where I find comfort
Saving the world, falling in love
One page at a time
Tilt head to the right
Show left side of face
Give a smile and make it bright
One good shot is all it takes
Embrace your individuality.
No one gets to define who you areL
Love what you love without worrying about judgement.
Take pride in what makes you different.
Afterall individualtiy divides you from the rest.
For so long I have lived with this filter.
It has been so long,
I no longer remember life without it.
Right, wrong.
Life, death.
Good, evil.
These are no longer choices that I can make on my own.
Who am I you ask who am I
I am just like every teenager around us
A teen with high and low goals
A teen struggling with the harsh reality of growing up
A teen trying to succed
Sometimes I lie
And sometimes cheat
And sometimes I hide
What makes me so me.
I suck in my gut
When I see a camera flash,
I sit quietly in class
And try not to make a splash.
Sometimes I stay up all night and feel my stomach
Feel the stretched skin, the scarred skin
My beautiful skin
I stay up all night and count every beauty mark as if they were stars
Beauty is in the detail
Not the retail
More than a pretty face
Why can't you tell?
The shallowness of your eyes sees my disguise
The outer me
So when our friendship is tested,
Just little old me.
I stand here before you,
but there isn't much to see.
I stand, blinded by your magesty.
Your glory and your beauty
overwhelm me.
And I am nothing.
One.
These mirrors breed rebels:
They remind me that I am everything TV says I shouldn't be.
If I don't let it ring out,
It'll be lost in the past now.
See, to revise the script and revive it,
That's a shot in the dark real quick.
Being the next in line is real slick
Given that I'm the best now
I am the girl who won't strike up a conversation. The one who sits quietly in the classroom, wishing someone would be her friend.
I am the girl who walks alone. The one no one bothers to say hello to.
A twisted family portrait this has become
Weeds winding around my neck
The very ones I planted
Be cautious of what seeds you drop
Within your spirit
But I'm surrounded every day
From the start of the day,
to the end of the night,
whatever comes my way,
I'll never lose sight.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made,
Regardless of how good everyone says I look,
A 17 year old child applying for college,
built for success, wisdom, and knowledge.
A plethora of information has been deposited into him,
But due to his black skin many have trained him on a whim.
CheapHollowSomehow brokenYet still fragile
I put on an air For all to seeYet box and stowThe Genuine me
Never was I confident
High fructose corn syrup excess led to obesity in all its sense
Crumbling of anything that is positive
I pulled my tools from negatives to work on me with conciousness
To understand me you must start from the tips of my size 12 feet
Stretch five feet and eight inches and the top of my head you’ll meet
My scrawny legs to larger thighs
The look too strange together to abide
If you could see the true me you'd see the broken girl
you'd see the mask she stands behind thats been cracked so many times
you'd see the misery
you'd see the heartache
In the wind there’s a whisper,
It speaks the truth but I choose not listen
For it is not what I want to hear
It bares the words that I have been running from my whole life
The fear clutches in my throat
What if being authentic was all that mattered in this world of always having the next big thing? Being what everyone else thinks you should be, doesn't matter.
Genes have made my eyes glow with dark rings,
they are also made of the bluest of blues,
shimmering in the sunlight,
unique in their own way.
My hair has never been died or changed,
She may not be the very definition of beauty but her self-restrained chaos unravels all connotations of the word.
She’s more than a number, more than a status.
In a world of never ending can’ts, won’ts, shouldn’ts,
Discolored Skin and Acne Marks..... I am BEAUTIFUL!
Stretch Marks and Scars...... I am BEAUTIFUL!
I am a Natural Beauty
Them contacts, I don't need
Them lashes, I won't wear
That makeup it looks nice but my perfect Natural skin it don't fit right wit
Because my Beauty is Natural
Yes I have a Natural fro
What is a filter?
A thing to hide behind?
A painted on disguise?
To attract the guys
The world we live in we have to try so hard to fit in
I can not pretend
So maybe that's why I don't fit in
Behind the filter, there is a girl that is naturally introverted.
She wants her picture to get 100 likes.
Did she use the right filter?
Was her makeup on point?
She just wants to be liked.
Filters are just lies we tell ourselves to fit in with the rest of the world.
Filters don’t make us happy they hide our true selves.
Filters hide who we really are
With filters, I may look "girlie"
I may look happy and carefree.
Therefore, you may not think of me as a band "dork"
How can I be a marching band girl with good looks?
I am a lonely girl who loves music
I wonder what it's like to live in a world without music
I hear the soft whisper of the wind
I see music notes flying around me
I want to live
Filters are something to mask us.
Flaws always cause a fuss.
We hide behind angles,
All their thoughts of us are caught in a tangle.
If we didn't cover our flaws and look fake,
Each morning my face looks at me,
Some days with sleep still in its eyes.
And, though I like the face I see,
It's time to put on my disguise.
The brown eyelashes become black;
Who am I, a broken clock,
Who rings a bell and says tick-tock
Amidst the glorious choir sing
And silent, stay what they would bring.
No repair for many years,
'Twas I who broke the seamless gears.
I am a beautiful woman
But my mind body and soul
Is confined by the powers of this intertwined worlds
Of what we call social media.
The filters of normal, Kentucky, slumber, and rise
The world is loud, society is, well, social.
“You’re so quiet and shy.” the public would say.
Little do they know, I am different in a unique kind of way.
I don't hide with makeup
Social media? Nope
Don't say YOLO or 'sup
Give it up, there's no hope
Silence is my filter
No expression, no voice
Whether you like it or not
I am what I am and say what I say
And as each night falls and I wait for each day
With #nofilter
I am a human
A contender of life
A mess of flesh and chemicals
Flowing constantly.
Only Certain
To follow instinct
Or change the instinct
I am more
Than you perceive.
There is more
Beneath my unplucked eyebrows,
Big eyes, and tan skin.
Watch me,
And you will see
Someone who is stubborn
And compassionate.
Authentic as this poem is it searches without much regrets
inside we find a child and more beneath fealty rugged doors
I cannot speak in every day my end is true
but in everyday I need God You
I come from the southern heat filled with country accents
From a mom who worked hard now her back's bent
I've had an uncensored mind since adolescence
Seen the truth as a child I was learning lessons
When you take away all the fake smiles and forced laughs
Take away all things that I've conviced myself that I am
Your left with a girl
I look in a mirror and see nothing
I take a picture and see a plan face
Only when adding a filter will I feel like something
When I add filter I hide the dark tint on my skin
Making it my very own filter
Aye, that natural beauty tells a story
show my power and courage to not be like others
Show off myself because theres only one of me
with added enhancers we are all the same
Without filters and false smiles I am strong,
Even if sometimes I feel I don't belong.
I sometimes smile to the sky,
and that in itself is enough to get me by.
I don't have many friends,
Behind these green eyes
(Lies, lies, lies, lies)
I mean.
Behind these green eyes,
Lies the secret to my asphyxiated kingdom.
I may not reveal the secret.
Because Secrets are meant to break,
The real me is not as perfect
As I make it out to be.
The real me wears glasses
Because my sight is far from good.
The real me has wavy hair
That is no where straight.
The real me has freckles
Poison
Slowly spreading through my veins
Silently killing
No one can see my pain
I have to shake it off, fight the feeling
Find the antidote
Seek my healing
I am enslaved,
enslaved to this feeling.
how could I see the light,
of something great.
Always I think about it,
that horrible year.
Those kids made it bad,
As I stare upon you now
Your beautiful laves swaying in the breeze
Do you realize the memories you hold?
Shadows are alwasy misunderstood
assiocited with the dark
the evils lurking in tht night
The ons that sulki in dark corners
That hide within the walls
hiddn being tat walk the night
I want to be the BEAU and the TY
To have a mind, body and style that drives Mothernature wild
...could I have an addiction, maybe
But it's still me they see
"Describe yourself in three words."
Carefree.
Confidet.
Brilliant.
Descibe myself in three words.
Worried.
Anxious.
Smart.
Behind the cameras,
behind the cellphone,
behind the photograph,
who do you really see?
Yes, you'll see a girl
with a pretty smile,
but who is she?
Is she even real?
Scars do not only represent that I have been wounded,
but that the wounds have been healed,
and that they no longer define me.
Because a healed wound is a scar.
And scars are stories.
Shadows, tired eyes.
Kettle whistling. Here I am.
Sitting on the couch, awaiting my fate.
Scared, and hands trembling.
Hands crawl towards the torn-open envelope.
Who is the man I see when I look in the mirror
Throw aside the filters and the facade and the image gets clearer
Behind each selfie
Every tweet
Lie walls of protected secrets
We act like our life is an open book
But we still keep locks on the front covers
We'll share the food we ate for breakfast
I have family
I have friends
I have people who understand
I have someone who sees
I have someone who disagrees
I have many things
yet i am alone
I am an ostracized sheep
Who am I?
Away from the smart phone corrections?
Do you really want to know?
Are you sure?
Well, I am a tree
with branches that reach out to many people.
People from all parts of the world.
If there was a way to tell my younger self everything I know about my life in five minutes .
I would use all three hundred seconds to be as precise as I possibly could be.
You see my false face
Shining through the lense of a camera
It shows no wrinkle or scar
But if you care to look behind
You'll see there is so much more
My skin reveals stories
His eyes took my attentionThose dark sapphire eyesI want a time extentionIs it a dream or is this love?
No one to turn to...Alone in this world friends who you thought were your friends...not...They left you in the dark alone see these are the things that leads you to this sinful word.
Everyone is different,
I, just a little more than anyone else.
To me, I am
lost
insecure
hopeless
scared
To my family
lacking
imperfect
perfect
Amazing, to me, is how music can take you
Places imaginations would go.
Whatever the theme, it begins with a dream
Its boundaries and limits not known.
Rather inspiring, to me, to hear
Who am I?
It can't be defined in words.
Who am I?
A symphony with a million notes.
Who am I?
A broken mirror pieced together.
Who am I not?
I am no longer a doll.
I am not like the another girls
I don't want to be in the spotlight
But to be the one behind the scenes
I rather give than receive
I am not perfect
but I am a work in process
I made mistakes
Small girl, with far from normal dreams
Everyday I wake up wanting the same thing
see I want to see the world make a change in how we're seen
cause now-a-days everyone seems to be hidden behind a screen
You cant live life without being yourself. If you live life be hind a filter, then your not living life at all, you living a lie,
If I showed you a picture,
would you love me today?
If it's #nofilter,
would you promise to stay?
The truth that is I bother
to cry to you my past,
for with #nofather,
Get to know me!
3, 8, 2, 5, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, I broke down my ethnicity numbers for you.
38 percent Black...
25 percent Bahamian...
13 percent Puerto Rican...
12 percent Irish...
i am not number seventeen
grade twelve
first row
third from the left
you cannot
multiply any of these figures
and form an image of me
i will not allow my life
At first glance you might tag me as the nice guy who always smiles and waves, but I think I give you some insight behind the mask today. Anyone who knows me close knows sometimes that smile is a facade covering up what's really going on.
Fail to tell me, if you think I am not strong.
Do you really think that I don’t know?
I’ll tell myself, I won’t leave you to suffer with the truth for long.
Staring at the expressionless reflection on the other side of the mirror
Searching for the hopes and dreams and aspirations that once became me
I didn't give it much thought until now.
I can't say I've given much thought to anything until now.
Why we're fighting our system because they're doing it wrong instead of rethinking the way that it's taught...
Why do I even bother with writin, readin, speakin
When there's no universal goal we're all seekin,
Hello World
I wake up everyday revealing me
You see
I am comfortable in Joshua
There is no need to hide my attributes with the filters of the world
These hurtles of insecurites
We do things
Things that aren't us
Colors, powder, liner
Bandages on our true beauty
This is not me
I take my power
Me
My words heal
Mine come from another mouth
I am BOLD
I am WISE
I am STRONG
I am YOUNG
I am MOM
I am FREE
I am HONEST
I am CAPABLE
I am ME!
I try to be as true to myself
as I can be.
No matter the surroundings, the people, the class
For I have learned it is better to live life
the way I want.
I am not a follower. I do not believe in fitting in.
Such a self reflective thing am I
I sit alone most of my time, some people find it strange
I however scoff and say introversion is no crime
I am the one sitting behind a book or immersed in some work of art
Vulnerable, as if everything I am is stretched out on a wire.
Stubborn (at least that's how I see myself) up to a point,
waiting for a chance to turn away, to erase what I see in the mirror.
Behind the filter is where it lies
In black and white is where is hides
When we think we shouldn't shine
This is the truth in all the lies
I hide the flaws that do not show
When you look into a mirror who do you see?
Whe you snap a picture do you use filters?
When I look in a mirror
I see me
I see a girl who is afraid of being alone
A girl who wants everyone to get along
Who am I?
A voice among the thousands
A breath amidst many souls
I'm a flick of paint
Against the bright canvas of the world
Who am I?
A nobody in disguise
A somebody waiting for opportunities
I stand in the bathroom looking in the mirror.
A brush of mascara, a sweep of eyeliner, a touch of blush
all over my skin covered in pale powder.
I take a picture. Flash! Flash!
I've tried so hard to be someone I'm not.
Someone so different that I nearly forgot.
The real me.
"Snap" goes the camera as she take another. "Snap, Snap"
She isn't satisified. She goes again. Every image of her face, showing the same smile
Same eyes and same nose, but as always the picture is never right.
My skin is brown and the iris of my eyes are darker. My hair is kinky and nappy but overall I am happy. I could wear a weave, colored contacts, and skin bleach, but that is not the outer me.
At 6am, I'm miserable.
Time to get out of bed, move my behind,
Clock in for $7.25 at the daily grind,
Eight hours for this is fucking criminal.
At noon, I'm finally awake.
Labeled like an item
Unheard like the truth
Critiqued like art
I strived to be where I am
I've lost what i have earned
I am a fighter
Yet I am my own opponent
Music soothed the beast
The social media see's her hidden behind a special feature something we call a filter
Behind the filter I am a storm of beautiful chaos.
I am a pool of indecisiveness.
I am a bundle of uncertainty,
As I stand in the mirror everyday
I think about what changes I've made
what chances I took
The regrets I have
The life I've lived
The years ahead
I realize what I used to be
is not the key
A picture's worth a thousand words,
But what of that are lies?
To me, I don't like pictures, as they hide you in disguise,
For what am I, to tell you, who I am?
I am me.
I am not strengthened by others' flaws
Nor am I weakened by their assets.
I do not wish to give them false ideas
about who I really am.
I am me.
Do ya know who I am, behind the makeup, the dress? Behind the flaws, and the fear, man I'm flawless! I've given up on caring bout' what others think of me, cuz the truth is what I'm wearin' is the skin of me.
There are several-thousand- maybe even several-million ways that one can edit a photo,
But each photo is conceived in the same manner.
The red button in the lower center of the device is pressed.
How do I describe me
How I am
And what you see is me
How do I describe me
Well, for starters I'm 23
How do I describe me
I'm a college student
Who will owe a lot of money
Lullabies sung in the wind,
Sing to be heard again.
Hushing rivers rise,
To meet the tides.
Summer rain,
Drown me once again.
Lightly snow,
The fear that doesn't show.
Twinding branches,
What people can do, is tell themselves they can do.
The only thing holding you back is the choice to follow through.
Everybody has a genius soul, and the ones that we all know
are the ones who push their limits.
Without filters we would all be the same
Bland, Blind, Blank
Same white canvas, same textured frame
Who I am I without a filter?
We've all been through filters
There is a girl inside of me
That wants to be all she can be.
The parts that I give permission
For you to see
Are filtered oh so heavily.
Behind the Walden, the Hudson, the X-Pro II,
When I take photos there is no filter
When I describe me there is no filter
When I am me there is no filter
Why put a filter when you can just be you?
Why be 50% you?
When you could be 100% you all the time
#nofliter
Why must we put a label on a picture that has nothing
but a fake smile and good lighting?
Because behind the raised eyebrows and the plastered grin on our face
Without a filter what are we?
Without all the effects what are we?
Without the popularity and the followers what are we?
We are misguided.
I go where it's dim, only somewhat light,
you can tell it's still me, just a tad bit more, "right".
i'll move my hair, to cover some more.
If the whole world were to look up at the same cloud,
what would they see?
If I peered through stained glass,
do I still see the same cloud?
Do you see me as I see me?
Meek.
Who am I?
When people look at me what do they see?
Do they see the person that I try to portray?
The mature 19 year old? College Sophomore who has everything put together?
So many things happening around me and it just amazes me how God just continues to keep his hedge of protection around me and to bless me.I sometimes wonder about things that happened to me in the past and how so any people have walked out of my
My flesh,
Locks of messy brown hair,
And dull brown orbs
Become pixels.
My flaws are defined
Or barely able to be seen.
Filters
Extra pixels
cover the flaws I embrace.
Mirror, Mirror on the wall
Why do I hide behind a mask and walls?
If I were to show the real me, would people run?
Would they stay with me? Or would I be left?
People see me as the girl who has no worries,
Behind the scences of no filters
I am who I am.
without it you see all my flaws,
There are few things in this world that need a filter
Coffee being the main one
Was I sub post to be born with one
Or can they be installed like a TV
How can things improve
If no one tells you
Though there are many different filters, I have one that is my favorite.
Some may not even consider it.
It's known as "normal"
You see, this filter has acne scars.
Also, the teeth aren't as white as they seem.
Useful but useles,
Depression within,
Sunlight and darkness blinding my vision,
The two fued and grow a connection,
That rises tension forming me,
Chill, relaxed, zoned into a beat,
Confident.
Determined.
Unshakable.
Beyond the image the world sees
Those closest know who I am
I do not bend to other's will
I do not compromise
What is right is right
Beyond the lines , that bar away, the confusing notions of thoughts so grey, I see myself, standing still, framed in a photograph, resting on a windowsill .
It took me 17 years to wear clothes that I liked.
It took me 17 years to say yes when someone offered to do something.
It took me 17 years to participate in class.
It took me 17 years and I still fight everyday.
A girl with long brown curly hair.
She's friendly, helpful, a hard worker,always with a positive attitude,
I'm the next new name brand.
I'm the next major Meek Mill fan.
I'm the next.
I'm the next.
I may not display on my chest,
but I want to be the next to star on set.
I'm the next.
I'm the next.
#NoFilter is seen on every insta pic
But we all know it is fake.
I don't use filers to kick,
kick my true self out of the feed.
Natural beauty
Makes you pretty
No make up, no problem.
In my selfies,
I turn my "bad side" away from the camera
I strike a pose that lets my hair fall
Like a curtain before a show
Over my lazy eye,
The one that won't just behave and pretend to be normal
The way I see myself is created of many shades,
some darker's than others.
My ideals and values are one of old's,
something thats seen untold.
The artists of the past have corrupted my mind,
I remember how the dogs never slept at night, how sticky my skin got
after a day in the heat, how I stopped taking showers because I thought
lake water would do just fine, and if your hair got greasy,
When I look in the mirror who do I see?
Let me be honest, I see a girl who hurts on the inside and can't control herself all the time.
I am the type to just be alone in my room and sit there and think.
High School is wearing thin.
What have these 4 years taught me?
Why, that is to keep high your chin.
When I walk, heads turn
"Who is this girl with all the confidence in the world"?
Lift my head high, you would'a swore I was lookin at God himself!
When I talk, heads turn
Me without a filter is like water without being purified
Like stream water before getting sterilized
See I come with my benefits but can be poisoning
You get the true nature of me no games no gimmicks
They say that the early bird catches the worm...
Yet Earlybird just creates a haze that casts shadows on faces and words.
It's funny because Nashville shows no affiliation to Tennessee;
A Young girl, about 17 or 18.In a croud of roudy teens at a concertShes wearing her favorite vestShes Smileing and having a good time in the pit and, at her very best
So what if I'm not thin
I can't play sports
I'm not strong enough for physcial things
But,
Raw.
Take away the chlorine and see
Water not yet purified,
Expansive and mysterious as the ocean,
Curious and shining and rocking.
Rhythmic Waves.
Violent storms.
I am damaged and desolate. I stand amidst a land of withering, dying trees and although I can see the light that brings the open, thriving forest of greenery to life, I know I will never feel the warmth of that glow on my skin.
I’m a unique individual, well I claim to be, because nobody is me, even though I have a twin.
I am an actress,
I am a dancer,
(though I cannot dance).
I read. I write. I lead.
I have a mean right-hook,
but I am no athlete;
I am a sham, a faker, a liar.
I am #...
Always almost absent
Beautiful beyond boundaries
Constantly causing chaos
Desperately desiring dreams
Extremely enigmatic
Ferverously faithful
Grateful good girl
Insercurities seem to control us,
drive us to do strange things.
Plastic surgery,
aneorxia,
It looked original, body so curvy, eye's so blue, gray, green, even something a little in between, you know what I mean?
HAHA
No Filter
Haha
Pure face
Haha
Hidden disgust
Haha
Beautiful lies
Haha
Look at my face
haha. .
my laugh is weird. .
haha. .
I'm just kinda queer
I'm a bundle of conflictions
It is my quiet affliction
.
My soul asks me to think
The more I do, the more I sink
.
Into grey clouds of apathy
Attempting to consume me.
Life kind of sucks, I wish I could give zero fucks.
Really none to give, why do I even choose to live.
Forget what I'll leave behind, if only you could see what's on my mind.
Life kind of sucks, I wish I could give zero fucks.
Really none to give, why do I even choose to live.
Forget what I'll leave behind, if only you could see what's on my mind.
Snap! I've been captured!
But luckily it wasn't me.
It was the person I wanted to be.
Beautiful butterfly, hilarious hipster
but don't forget, that was just the filter.
The real me struggles daily
I connect every star with an imaginary line
But also link our fate together with a single red thread.
Love forged upon theinvisible path I paved
Falls perfectly into my own celestial vision.
With every ounce of my being I adore you.
I see more of you in me than anyone else.
You are my best friend, my role model, my mother.
Since the day I was born you were the one I could count on.
I am usually socially awkward,
the mask makes me look handsomely forward.
I love to draw with my friend,
the mask makes my friendships end.
My words will the doves fly,
the mask make you question me: why?
Eye shadow hides the bruises from the mean girls
blush hides the punches from my boyfriends hands
lipstick hides the pimple that sprung up over night
why do yo wear makeup? you will never understand.
If it's worth the penny you'll give for my thoughts,
I will be willing to state a small truth.
To apply a censor is an awful lot
more harmful than words that are uncouth.
A word said is a word expressed,
what is the point in surviving?
does anyone even know?
when it routes inside you
how are you to let It go?
It knows all your secrets
will become your biggest fear.
slowly, It rips apart
Everyone thinks I'm flawless in this school
The teachers, the students, the janitor that cleans the pool.
Everyone thinks I can do it all
Good grades, a girlfriend, and a star playing baseball.
I suppose I've never known how people see me-
Not to say that I haven't thought about it a lot,
(much much more than I care to admit)
There was a time I didn't think anyone saw me at all,
I began as a little piece of algae, and after my lifespan,
I died.
I didn't know much of anything as a piece of algae and after I died, there was no party to celebrate my life as algae.
Shutter Snaps
Perfect Picture
Fancy Filter
But which one?
Sierra? no
Sable? no
Sutro? Yes, that's perfect.
110 Likes...
But Who Am I,
Behind the filters?
Who Am I,
What am I?
I have asked myself this question for a very long time.
But, it’s not that I do not know
Or have doubted myself for a while;
You see,
I do not fit in.
Filters and Captions can't define the person who was frozen in time when the picture was taken.
Without the power of technology I am ME.
Simple and Authentic as I can be.
When all the petals have fallen,
a lonely carpel on a stem, is
finally given its moment to shine.
Its confidence grows dim and afraid.
The petals, so bright, welcome the world
and glow with confidence.
"I woke up like this"
Head wrap on woke up at 5 in the morin,
Do I really want to go to stats? I ask myself while I am yawin'
God ave me purpose thats what I feel on my chest
The first time through, you held me close
Kissed my ear
My forehead
My mouth
You whispered inwardly, that you would never leave
The day that it came
Was the day that I broke
The colors of life are all that surround,
from which social media is everywhere to be found,
Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter,
and Tumblr,
hashtags, likes, are all but words to make me humbler,
Ping ping the notification of a like
The sound of satisfaction
The sound I strive for
Recognition of my hard work
Picking filters, using quotes, hashtagging
Making sure the world knows I'm here
Come in, let me introduce myself
.
No, don't turn on the light.
I said I'd introduce myself.
We all look the same in the dark, don't we?
I feel you there, creeping oh so silently
Into my dreams you enter to awaken me oh so violently
In your wakes are my regrets and my vindications
And on my skin your devil's tongue has left its lacerations
Dark raccoon eyes stare back at me
Sleep deprived as anyone can see.
I am a former shell of better days
when I still danced in the suns rays.
Troubled ghosts flicker 'cross my face
Everyday I look into the mirror
a stanger stares back at me
if only they could see me clearer
and hear my plea
The inner me shines through the cracks
while trying to act
The inner me loves snacks
I never use make-up
I rarely hold back
Whenever I wake up
I try really hard
To be only who I am
To only act like me
Filtering myself would be a scam
Being fake, all would see
You gotta start with need. A whole lot of need.
Needing comfort, needing love, needing attention, needing support, needing guidance.
I am a runner, I am a student, I am a worker
I am a student, I am a student, I am a worker
I am me, I am me
I think these simple phrases over and over,
On my tumultuous journey
Day after day people put on their exterior appearance, strap on their mask, and go about life
guarding their inner selves. But
Who are they really?
I am me.
They see me.
It disapproves.
But I don't.
Society shall not judge.
I will not pay attention.
Let the words seep in to my head,
It won't be happening.
No filter.
You'll hear from a lot of people, that recover is a road.
It's odd that I do not need to add a mod-ification or filter
To show the real me, the E-R-I-C-K
E stands for excellent, this poem shows the essence
R stands for rhymer who spits fire
My friend who is a girl, my girlfriend said I'm indechirable
Like I'm coded war plans from the highest general.
She can't crack me open, but I was never closed.
No filters,
The real me?
Something no one wants to see.
Society wants fake,
Perfect and glam.
But I refuse.
When people see my pictures with no filters,
They may see no beauty,
I am Powerful.
People see me as the short five foot tall girl I am.
They picture me as weak and insecure, but I am powerful.
Behind the imperfections of my body, my cheap makeup, my middle class clothes,
Who am I?
That quiet girl, the one who would rather draw and be on her phone than talk.
That girl who has never been to a party let alone has ever been curious enough to go to one.
Who am I?
Amaro, Valencia, and X-Pro II; three of my favorite filters.
Three filters that everyone loves.
They make your skin seem softer
Your hair seem shinier
Or make your eyes pop out
Filters, distortions.
Most people think I'm this bad person
The person their parents told them not to be friends with
Honestly..
I wear a mask because
Nowadays
You can't be the person you really are in front of anyone
a woman with sad eyesbelongs to a speciesall unto her ownshe wears her grief as pearl earringsand sings melodies as she makes the bedshe drinks earl-grey tea
There once was a little girl with brown eyes so big you'd think she'd seen a ghost,
and tangled waves of hair that fell around her face
The little girl with big brown eyes and wavy hair was excited to see the world
The rage sets in
It pools in my stomach
My hands itch to break something
My chest is tight
My eyes burn with tears
When I was eight years old, I was a ghost for Halloween.
But when I knocked on my neighbor’s door, she still noticed me and handed me a Snickers bar.
But you didn’t do the same.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, freckles,5’6” and 150 pounds,My appearance won’t dictate my success.
1970 SAT, 29 ACT score,4.6 GPA, and 63rd in my class of 500.My academics won’t dictate my success.
Behind such Blue Eyes, Lye courage yet despised, I loath to be hold, Although beauty so bold. To hear my mother say baby its fine, Is too far gone in time. Behind these blue eyes with filters so divine, Is a girl lost in time.
On which hour on thy social media, thee wilt findeth a miniature of oneself,
But what lie beneath the mask, the true visage?
If thy mask be uncovered, what wilt thou findeth in thyself?
Image- despite your tries,
Despite your cries,
What are you under your makeup?
Image- the fault in society,
That brings tears to your diary,
The sound of a heart breaking.
Image is why-
Just another face in a neamless crowd, no one knows who I am.
They think they've got me all figured out, but they don't know anything.
They think I'm not capable of being anything other than ordinary,
Wake up with make up.
Nobody would like my real face,
So I post pictures of me in lace.
I cover every imperfection,
So you never see my real reflection.
At the end of the day,
The honey hasn’t been sweet in years,but my teeth are still rotting.Mama doesn’t know the half of it.She loves everyone too hardeven if she pretendsshe can’t remember their names.
A mirror only shows what you let it;
It displays an image which eyes can distort.
Most teenagers see a less-than-perfect image,
But the mirror sees truth and perfection.
Brown eyes and light skin
i am the brother of a twin
doing stupid things to fit in
if you live life this way, will you ever win?
mom comes home late so i never see
parents fight so i hold my pee
Here I am, a comedian
Laughing and bright
No one knows that underneath
I have a serious fright
That someone won't think i'm funny
Someone will see
That I am a real person
I am me
You all look my way, but none of you see.
I am the girl no one truly understands.
I have the love of him and Him and them,
but what is it if no one understands?
I cry on his shoulder.
I pray to Him.
One picture, but so many filters,Covering every little bit of realnessand every little bit of happyness,Wanting more and more,Only to recieve less,
I am a man who likes to rap!
I am a man who takes no crap!
I am a man who is eighteen!
I am a man who is not mean!
I am a man who loves his friends!
I am the man who starts the trends!
Where does it go when the filter fades?
Trying so hard for likes, and a million followers on your page.
But really what's worth all the rage?
I smile in the background. tilt my head when i'm confused. They think they know me, none of them really do. I'm not the girl in the pictures i'm someone who lives two lives as two lives live me. they think that they know me.
Simply
You can see me
Or does one now only see through selfies
That dosen't show me
I care
I am fair
I've done a couple things that a couple others wouldn't dare
Everyone is asking who I want to be.
No one is seeing that I'm already me.
I'm tired of putting up with all the bullshit and lies.
I'm tired of people trying to change me with their cries.
Mama is a Daylight (Inspired by Evelyn Tooley Hunt, by: James Crawford)
When she slips into the room,
She shocks us
Like and electrical power line,
And we wake up amazed.
An introverts haven and a extroverts nightmare. A place where nothing can hurt you but your own thoughts but at the same time all your pain goes towards understanding who you are.Isolate yourself and reflect, isolate yourself and rejoice, isolate
I never liked filters.
They always seemed trashy.
I use them anyway.
I make them work.
Authenticity is scarce.
Though it's still there.
You have to sift.
Will you find anything?
Play
Investigate, lazy
Computer, television, bowling
Average, future, work, paycheck
Working, driving, buying
I was already there, waiting at a brink, looking for a clutch.A thing I could look towards and ask for helpBut within the noise and the frustrationI couldn't find a sign.
What is one without Filters?
One who is bare and natural
Are they the same person
The same person you loved to be around
Filters do not make that much of a difference
If any at all
You look on social media
And what is it you see
It's filters here and there
But all I want you to see is me
I present to you an allegory: life as you know it.
I brave my face to the world, but they don't seem to see it.
It's like their own masks make them blind to everything else.
Hello, I'm the girl who sits in the corner.
Remember me?
Of course not. Why should you give me a second glance?
Quiet, brainy, unassuming
Awkward
Loner
This is what you see. I guarantee it.
I woke up like this,
cranky, sluggish, fuzzy
I woke up like this,
***Flawless
I woke up like this,
tired, cold, makeup smeared,
I woke up like this,
***Flawless
I woke up like this,
I am an epileptic schizophrenic
with the magnetic charm
of a younger Tom Selleck;
I am a rampaging bafoon
who jumps before he leaps
to his impending—
Doom, Doctor Doom, he who looms
I was not meant to be a thing made of plain happenings and I am more, made up of manyunfolding, shrinking, expanding breaths
BreakawayThis illusion I've seen in my expressionless faceMirrored hate at a being that doesn't have words, and never existed outside cruel minds that ought to have been left behind
You look at the picture and you see what's there.
You get lost in her smile, her completion, her hair.
Her dark eyeliner brings out the brown in her eyes and her eyebrows are perfectly shaped.
So, yeah you can find my pictures on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat but you can see me in person and be looking at a whole different person. In those pictures, I look happy, new, beautiful, and confident.
They say,
“You can’t say that”
They say,
“Don’t talk like that; not about that”
They wish to filter me.
I will not be filter,
I will not stay hush-hush,
I will speak my mind,
Who am I?
hardest question I've had to answer,
I tell you what I want to be,
and as I think hat isn't me.
As I look at myself I know I don't need no help,
Im the goofy looking kid with the curly hair,
I am young and not nearly done,
What could I become?
Thoughts whirled,
Anything possible in this world.
My imagination works day and night,
I am like a knight.
My pencil is my sword,
I am a college student I am a hard worker I am a woman who remains persistent even when her goals end up in failure still I push.Who doesn't have a porcelain face
Take a PICTURE. It's worth a thousand words.
Add a FILTER. Now its a lie.
Keep it in NORMAL. It looks beautiful.
Press KELVIN. Looks similar to 1977.
Please, No Filters...
Some label me as an hippie because of my passion for love or a daydreamer because of all the wishes and prayers for peace.
Youre a disappointment
You're a failure
Youre a disgrace
The connotations that I ponder
When those are the words they say
I guess it doesn't even matter that I got straight A's
#nofilter, cowarding at the bottom of some random girl's pic, yet the image itself speaks otherwise, producing something
I am a lone wolf when it comes to decisions but there is time for a pack
With the filter what you see is the ruler of discomfort
The queen of the damned, a social bone crusher
You wanna know what makes me flawless
Acknowledging my imperfections. Having the ability to forgive and forget those who were snakes
Children:
Are innocent
Are naive
Are silly
I am a child.
Not really.
I'm eighteen.
Too old to be a child.
But I am.
Believe me.
Flannel shirts, sweaters, well kept.
those are the words people used to describe me today
I'm not always so elequent
A messy bun and a haze of cigarette smoke are my ideal state
I feel beautiful
But I'm not
I want the attention
But I don't
I am someone
I am not
If I was myself you wouldn't like me
But I'll never truly know
what has our world come to?
Have we lost the sense of natural beauty?
We filter our photos to appear different
I'm very into makeup,
Taking on different looks,
But behind the coverup,
Theres a different girl,
Less confident than all,
But in a shy confident way
Regrets and shame
Moments that will never be the same
There is no rewind button
No delete
No fast-forward or a pause
This society breathes and lives through computerized chips surgically dug into our brains
Hi there, this is the real me.
Not the smart, energetic, and lovable person you know.
But, the person behind the curtain,
the one I don't show.
The real me is lazy,
The story of his life has been a constant struggle
So many problems and responsibilities that he's been forced to juggle
Everything he's had to do it was by himself
Your beautiful just the way you are
There us no need to wear makeup
Don't fake it up
Just the way you are
You shook the world up
Because your are beautiful just the way you are
I listen to my music full blast,
I don't except last,
I'm tough,
But not too rough,
I feel others pain,
I feel insane,
I a nerd,
Kinda wana be bird,
Just escape it all,
Two broken souls, two halves of a whole. Two different footprints, on paths that barely cross. It’s hard to believe the things that we see…
I tilt my head up, it reflects the light better.
Followed by the caption, carefully typed letter by letter.
Should I use Valencia? it makes me look tan.
This will definately get me famous, every "like" is a fan.
You are Perfect being you Be crazy, be happy, be full of imagination Dont hide behind filters, show the real you Embrace those moles, those scars, let your flaws run free
My hair is brown and short and curly
My lips are big and sort of pink
My teeth are slightly moved forward
But that doesnt mean I am less of a person
My forehead is full of dark spots
Filters change our looks
Through this, they hide our true soul
Forcing conformed life
I'm just tryna get to know you tonightI'm sure there's a lot of things on your mindAnd people you inspire? See the connections I have with people is not my desireFor the things I aspire
Phoniness,
such a common trait
with such terrible consequences.
Masking who we are,
filtering the truth out of our lives,
avoiding who we really are
to conform to society,
Click, click, click goes the camera,
Showing all of me whe I first wake up.
I see someone beautiful staring back at me,
As she is lying down with her hair tangled and no makeup.
It doesn’t matter
If I’m opened or closed.
There are no discrepancies
In the work that I do.
I always see both sides
For what they really are.
Never do I have to worry
Raised by a strong woman as my example,
Influence and guidance have always been ample.
There have been struggles to find my path and my way,
Often times changing direction each day.
Optimistic girl,
Naiive and maleable,
Innocence stained by the world's harsh reality,
But still a glimmer of light shines through,
Through the callousness,
Yes I have imperfections
And not the sweetest complexion
Yet I try to look at those and say
“I have been given blessings”
I am me
under these clothes
behind those filters.
I am me.
No bright light to make my picture brighter.
No filter to make me lighter.
I am me.
Who am I with all these unspoken words?
The me without a filter is just like anyone else.
Full of fear and regrets, maybe even a few insecurities.
But the me without a filter is not always seen.
The first time I traveled with my high school volleyball team I felt danger in the back of my mind when we drove by a pet hospital.
I am not defective
I am simply me
I have many phases
Like the moon above the sea
And craters in my face as my brother likes to say
I am not picture perfect
But when I smile
A child of Suess and a daughter of grace,
in this whimsical world I was kindly misplaced.
On an island of misfits I took to my tongue,
like the martyrs had spoken my brilliance begun.
The world is a mistress of beautiful things
But the harsh reality is
It also holds ugly things
And we have ugly people posing as beautiful people
And they press the buttons
Leaving the rest of us in poverty
Who knows the real me?
If I look deep inside,
I know I can find
The real me even if I am truly blind.
I let the words get to me.
Knowing they are not true,
But even though my eyes are blue
The loss of sleep can be seen hanging under my eyes
Concealer can't do a thing despite how hard I try
The cover up can't cover up what's lying inside
Eyeliner and mascara running on my laugh lines
Her eyes are blue
Her eyes are bright
Her lips are flawless too
And her hair is just right
Her nails are long and thin
Her nose is a perfect width
Her skin is considered perfection
I think of all the things I think is wrong with me. My acne, my eyebrows don't look alike, I don't have a flat stomach, my hair isn't long and luscious, I'm too plain in my clothes. I think: "I am flawfull".
My name is Morgan
Without a filter I am normal
Without a filter my teeth are gray
Without a filter my eyes are just okay
Peers would describe me as pretty
But that's just the filter, really
What even gave Rise to the Instagram filters?
I'll bet some Earlybird got up one day,
But when looking for OJ, he saw only Amaro liqueur.
A Capricorn under Saturn
Ambitious, natural like earth's soil
Beautiful without effects and powders
Humble, do tumble, I mumble under my breath
waiting to be discovered
I prefer natural beauty over the help of filters any day but:This is how my life looks without a filter to make it brighter.
No filter and no makeup, I feel naked
It's hard to admit, I'd rather fake it,
Pretend like I'm okay,
With the small acne scars on my face,
The way all my hairs don’t naturally fall into place,
Without make-up such as foundation, mascara,lipstick,eyeliner,eyeshadow and eyebrow pencil, makes me flawless.The chemicals in these products ruin my natural look. Having make-up on is like wearing a mask.
When I look at myself in the mirror, I see a very unearthly creature.
I see small eyes with black holes for pupils and spaced-out yet bushy eyebrows.
I see a cute little puggle nose with an aquamarine stud on the left side...
Who is me beyond what they see
Doing what I can for the perfect selfie
Lip gloss on, hair curled slightly
Making sure my imperfections is unsightly
Who is to say who is me
Who is me beyond what they see
Letme tell you the unfiltered version of myself
Screw society's standards
Screw the government
Screw dollar signs getting in the way of my education.
I'm one pissed off chick.
Adopted at birth, I now know the truth.
I figured it out, you could say I'm a sleuth.
Friendly and happy, a sweet shy kind of guy.
Describes my essence and I'l try to show why.
Once one, now another.
Who is real? Tell me mother.
You gave me birth, and now I'm me.
But am I my own, or but a product of she?
It can't, no, can it truly be?
That I am but one single solitary me?
I am a dork,
I am silly,
I am beautiful without makeup.
I have a heart of gold,
I am smart,
I am a hardworker.
Without a filter,
I am all these things,
And I love it.
Every picture I take
Is run through a thousand filters,
So that people look at my photo and gush
That I look amazing.
And I stare at it,
Trying to find a hint of myself in there.
I am from my black Barbie doll
From vapor and miracle whip
I am from those looks that say “good job “
And the ones that say “don’t let it happen again”
I am
Many things.
I am blonde.
I am tall.
I am smart.
Sure...
I am those things.
But you know what else?
I am other things too.
I am things that you don't know.
I am fat.
WIthout the filters,
Without the perfect lighting,
Who is that girl?
She looks hidden by makeup
Or the facade of social media,
But who is that girl?
When the clouds clear and the curtains are drawn,
you get to witness the person that is truely beyond.
No glitz, no glamor, nor artificiality present
what you see is honestly-just me.
I am a venomous snake in the tall grass
Waiting to strike and kill those who pass
Acid is weak compared to me
That corrodes and decays peace and glee
Smooth skin,
Thin waist,
This is who I want to be.
Crop the image,
Add a filter,
And there it is; the new me.
See the smile?
See the hapiness?
I hate you
You're controlling and absurd
Please don't let me talk
I love you
You love me and I think it's more
This person who strives for the highest perfection,
Sadly exists among us as one most broken.
Hiding behind a mask of overcompensation,
Issues of insecurity are quite outspoken.
My pictures are taken and left bare,
Naked fo everyone to see.
The perect shade of purple that shadows beneath my eyes.
Like bruises from the nights that my thoughts punished my eyelids,
Girls are not sugar, spice, and everything nice.
They're 77 cents to a man's 1 dollar.
Lipstick, high heels, and skirts,
Getting choked by society's collar.
Be pretty, be quiet, take the abuse
The first ones to learn, the first ones to go
The oldest children are the first to know
The American dream, enticingly close
To our immigrant families who love us most
