Before I had a smart phone

when i had a stupid one

i would take pictures

if you could call them that

more like fuzzy blobs

with a lack of a better filter

 

before the insta

before the vine

when facebook was king

i took pictures

on my stupid phone

and that was that

with a lack of a better filter

 

now i use filters

i feel like a real photographer

my pics look great

never better

and i bump up the contrast 

and the saturation

with a lack of a better filter

 

i also take selfies

and use plenty of filters

because that is what makes me pretty

otherwise, i look like my old fuzzy blobs

now i like my face

in some lighting

for lack of a better filter

 

but what am i really?

who am i really?

beneath all that filter?

 

i am self-conscious

i am clumsy

i am afraid

i am awkward

i am different

and this is the real me

for lack of a better filter

 

i try to hide my faults

behind a lens

with a filter

 

but

that isn't all i am

 

i am compassionate

i am devoted

i am thoughtful

i am perky

i am bubbly

i am complete

i am myself - in all its entirety

 

so that's me

beneath all that filter

and maybe someday

i will go #NoFilter

and show the real me

because that's who i am

and that's who i'll be

with a lack of a better filter