It’s Not for Everyone
I was reading about this sandwich,
made with peanut butter, pickles and sriracha,
and the person said, this isn’t for everyone.
I laughed and then I cried,
not about the sandwich,
but because the one who used to say that to me
was my father,
who would have been 99 today
May 1, 2026.
He would eat these strange things and say
it’s not for everyone.
He would tell me this story,
about adopting me
and how I was not for everyone,
I was for him and my mom.
He would tell me that is why they picked me,
I wasn't right for anyone else,
I was right for them.
Others might have seen me like that sandwich,
but to my parents,
I was what their hearts were hungry for
and they could appreciate and love me
just as I am, my own blend of humanity.
He’s been gone for 21 years now,
and I still remember talking with him about
his future and ultimately his funeral.
We would tell me how he didn’t understand
why my mother loved him so much,
he wasn’t the best person and wasn’t for everyone,
but for my mom,
he was what she needed.
He asked me to tell people he was the shit
and not a good person for part of his life,
but then he was.
He was like that sandwich,
a strange combination, but amazing.
The truth is each of us is a crazy combination
and we are not right for everyone.
When it came to me,
my burly father was the right one
He was the one who would let me be me
He would let me paint his nails one day
and the next day be a tomboy
He was the one who would make sure no one hurt me
and then fight for my right to take auto shop.
He taught me that strange combinations
like peanut butter, pickles and sriracha
are not right for everyone,
but if they were right for me,
they were right.
He taught me to always be who I was created to be
to enjoy my life and my loves,
always remembering
they did not need to be right for everyone,
they just needed to be right for me.
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