in life I’ve always felt kinda off,
never completely,
always just kinda

the kinda off that you notice when you catch a glimpse of your smile in the mirror,
teeth crooked enough to be noticeable but never crooked enough to be fixed.
that kinda off

the kinda off that you only see when you take a few steps back and really take in the slightly uneven shelf you put up in your new apartment.
tilted enough to stand out but not tilted enough to be remounted.
that kinda off

the kinda off that you hear every time you play music through the speakers you blew out two years ago,
the sound quality is bad enough to complain, but never bad enough to be replaced.
that kinda off

the kinda off you feel when your grandma buys you a shirt that you’d never wear.
you feel guilty enough to keep it but never guilty enough to wear it
that kinda off

but crooked smiles laugh the loveliest laughs,
tilted shelves hold the most precious memories,
terrible speakers play the best songs,
and shitty shirts are make the best pajamas,
so that’s why I’m happy to say:

“In life I’ve always felt kinda off,
not completely,
always kinda,”