I am a Strange One:
A Self-Portrait in Writing
I turn my clock backwards
before I go to sleep.
I am a strange one.
I don’t like to sleep on pillows,
but rather between two of them.
I am a strange one.
I set my clock ahead five minutes,
for 7:00 a.m. is too close to 6:59.
I am a strange one.
I am studying to work in the healthcare profession,
but the sight of blood makes me faint.
I am a strange one.
I love to read crime thrillers,
but I love to write children’s nursery rhymes.
I am a strange one.
I read the dictionary for fun,
Hemingway for school.
I am a strange one.
I am a maximumist when it comes to books,
a minimalist when it comes to DVDs.
I am a strange one.
I love foreign films with subtitles,
but close captioning drives me crazy.
I am a strange one.
I love and appreciate fine art,
but have a hologram of a tree hanging in my house.
I am a strange one.
I watch Fox and read the HuffPost.
I love the Shopaholic series, but am a fan of Dave Ramsey.
I am a strange one.
I have seven Rubbermaid Tupperware containers,
and seven Rubbermaid lids.
I am a strange one.
I like Coca Cola from Mexico,
but I would never drink the water there.
I am a strange one.
I don’t love to cook,
but I love to watch cooking shows.
I am a strange one.
I’d much rather “meet my meat”
than cook it.
I am a strange one.
I buy a new fruit or vegetable first,
then try to figure out what to do with it later.
I am a strange one.
I love most everything fried,
but I prefer my fries baked.
I am a strange one.
I don’t like bananas,
but I love banana cream pie.
I am a strange one.
I love the beach and water aerobics,
but I never learned to swim.
I am a strange one.
My dream vacation is in Iceland,
but I hate the cold.
I am a strange one.
I love cat jokes,
but will probably never have a cat.
I am a strange one.
I like to make bars of soap,
but I prefer to use body wash.
I am a strange one.
I am a night owl,
but I hate when it gets dark early.
I am a strange one.
I hate cold weather,
but I love to be able to wear nylons and sweaters.
I am a strange one.
I like to wear socks inside the house,
but not outside the house (with shoes).
I am a strange one.
I find brassieres uncomfortable,
but not bikini tops.
I am a strange one.
I prefer skirts and mittens
over pants and gloves,
because I like my parts to touch.
I don’t like beards,
but I like a man who can grow one.
I am a strange one.
I like a man who wears cologne,
but I don’t wear perfume.
I am a strange one.
I don’t mind loading washers and dishwashers,
but I hate emptying them.
I am a strange one.
I love shopping for clothes,
but I hate trying them on.
I am a strange one.
I live in the Deep South,
but I don’t say y’all.
I am a strange one.
I don’t have a single tattoo or piercing,
yet I love chandelier earrings.
I am a strange one.
I am an introvert,
but I wait tables for a living.
I am a strange one.
My truths may be strange,
but they are not stranger than fiction.
We are all contradictory,
and, at times, just a little bit OCD,
in our own way.
But at least I don’t go to a seafood restaurant
and order a hamburger.