She showed me the photo she'd taken without my knowing it
 And I looked at it
 And I looked at it
 And I said nothing

It wasn't an angle I would have chosen
 Highlighting features
  I once rejected
  Finally accepted
  Now, today, I embrace

Forehead
Nose
Chin

My face wasn't sculpted
  with delicate features
  or classic lines
The way I wanted it to be 
  Gentle
  Inoffensive
  Pleasing to everyone

I have a chin that knows where it's going
  so pointed it's creased

I have a nose that takes up all the space it wants
  aggressive and unapologetic

I have a forehead with mountain slopes
  This is my wilderness
   and my retreat
  Some climbing required if you want to visit
   Bring a rope
  There are cliffs you could fall over
   and danger: high altitudes

And there they all were
  photographed
In sunlight and shadow
  defined
  defining?

Maybe more than I thought
  We are not our faces
  But our face is a piece of us
  Perhaps, over time, a reflection

So I looked
 and I looked
  in silence

At this photo I wouldn't have taken
At this angle I wouldn't have chosen

I looked
 and I looked
  that day, and other days in the future

Not because it was pretty
But because it made me feel something

And that, by the way, is a friend worth honoring
  who does not merely call you beautiful
  but who photographs you
    like you're art