Inspired by AUTOPORTRAIT II (SHATTER) by Tatum Mann, an imitation of Édouard Levée’s “Autoportrait.”
I am equally obsessive and noncommittal. I often research celebrities until it feels like they’re my old friends. I am proud to remember a time without smart phones. If I had to wear the same outfit everyday, it would be overalls, a turtle neck, & dangly earrings. I hope to regularly read the local newspaper next year. I hope I am a good nurse. I either journal everyday, or not at all for months. I audibly “hm” when I listen closely to a story. My house was built right after the Civil War, and I fantasize it was part of the underground railroad. I fear the day it is sold away. I say Bent Creek Farm is mine though it is not. I love public transportation. I am not always sure of things. I was sure of Pitt, and I am sure of Chicago. I was told the dimple on my right cheek appeared after I fell out of a tree and landed on my face. It is my favorite physical feature. I think I’m becoming more introverted as I age. I can’t remember a day without my best friend or my mom, and for that I am extremely lucky. Pretzels are the most comforting snack. I enjoy public speaking. I love attention. My favorite intoxications are cold IPAs or first kisses. Sometimes my hearing is horrible, or possibly just selective. I started going to therapy after my parents separated, and I still see the same woman. Sundays are cherished. I got my first tattoo at age 22. My four older siblings formed my childhood. Biting my nails has never been an issue for me, though sometimes I pretend to do it to look cool. I am impatient. My great grandfather owned a record shop in manhattan, until it went bankrupt from the great depression. I prefer my hair lighter, though never to the point of being described “blonde”. I wish the end of college was different. I have been told I am mature for my age. I am unfocused. I conform. I rebel. I contradict myself.