My natural skin tone is
My natural skin tone is not Valencia
or Inkwell
or even Earlybird.
I am not just a frozen smile on a screen
I am not the dramatic, piercing blue eyes that stare blankly ahead
just as I am not the quiet girl in the front of the classroom who always has her work done
or the girl who sits at the family parties alone
or the girl who doesn't want to sweat in gym class.
If I could take the filter off,
every single filter in my life,
I would be so full of life that these people wouldn't know what to do.
I'd burst into song
I'd pray
I'd laugh and I'd cry.
They'd know exactly who I am,
not just smart
but strong
faithful
loud
anxious
and creative.
They'd wonder why I was covered in glitter.
They'd wonder why I'm barefoot.
They'd wonder why my hands were drenched in charcoal and paint.
Some might ask,
"Why are you lying on the ground? It's raining."
And I'd be able to look them straight in the eye and say,
"This is the closest we'll get to the sky falling, and this is the closest I'll get to a mud bath spa treatment in my life."