No filter

The sky was overcast, there wasn’t enough sunlight

I enhanced the photograph with a “filter” to make it more bright

Then showed it to my son (before posting) expecting his approval

But on the contrary he suggested removal

Of the filter that I had chosen with care

The wrong filter could ruin the picture, I was quite aware

The one I had chosen made it look as it would on a sunnier day

Yet in my son’s opinion, its authenticity I had stripped away..

*

The filters for photography available now

Feel like a new tool to tinker with somehow

I see gorgeous pictures and am tempted to show

My photographs in an aesthetically pleasing glow

My son’s objection however led me to examine why I felt compelled

To embellish my picture, what did this act about me tell..

*

I felt the need to beautify something that did not need

A filter for enhancement, its beauty was pristine indeed

I was afraid to show everyone a picture less than perfect

Somehow I felt it would badly on me reflect

Because I see gorgeous photographs everywhere

(They are often photoshopped too, I’m aware)

It is hard to know what is touched up and what is not

Technology has such tools at our fingertips brought..

*

Trust children to tell you what you should yourself realize

Without the influence of others, when you see the world with their eyes

You know that using a filter is a lie, albeit an innocuous one

Let me end here by saying I am proud of my son!