#nofilter

 

Peel back valencia

remove the brightness

dim the highlight

extract the sharpness.

 

Disassemble the frame

rip apart the chrome,

naked in realization

 

you are alone.

 

A constellation of cells bonded

to create a pasty surface

 

on which freckles dance a

flash mob of sun-kissed gold.

 

Eyes that cling to a pointy nose,

like your parents to each other

after the third glass of wine.

 

Painted wrists scream

as silence escapes locked lips,

 

pleading you to release her

from school-yard slurs.

 

Red marks on failed tests

echo marks on her stomach,

as she studies her body instead of books.

 

She grabs her skin,

mesmerized by the bars that form;

A prison that has taken her captive.

 

The onlooker judges without filter.

Society scrutinizes and leaves you bare.

 

A mother and father weep.

Unobtainable expectations claim another life.