the weird smell

This morning there was a faint smell, a bit funky, but also inorganic. Is that me? I wondered. I hoped to God not. I plucked the fabric of my sleeve and brought it close to my nose. The shirt had stuck a little to the iron this morning – had some unmentionable melted? It didn’t seem so, but while not on my shirt the smell remained close by. It was on my hands! I went to the office bathroom to check if was emanating from all my skin. Unless you’re elastic man, you know it’s hard to get your nose up against all your skin. Feet to mid-thigh you can probably manage, and arms of course, but I bet you can’t smell your own hip or bellybutton. The rest of what I could get to seemed scentless. I washed my hands and the smell was gone. Later, at my desk, it seemed to come back. And I remembered all the bullshit I had yet to rend from myself.