As a kid, I’d hope so desperately for preppy,
well aware that I didn’t have what it took:
money. There’d be ways to get away with it,
as I would find out inevitably. I never wanted
to be normal, though, or plain, and sought to
confuse the look with something off-kilter.
Which had me at times come across a bit
Elvis-y. Which was cool. Then uncool.
Before it got cool again, I hung out with goth
kids, wanting not to look like them, but instead
to sponge a bit of that punk attitude. Did anyone
notice? There were also the tattoo boys with their
ears and noses pierced. I so wanted ink or just one
hole, but portrayal is pretense and I’d be no wannabe.
