Eighteen in 1980, full of fears
and expectations and hormonal delusion,
and with a headful of uncontrollable hair,
I let myself believe one of several mall
crushes might be impressed by my pierced ear.
First Anna-Maria, hairdresser, Sophia Loren
eyes and wild black tresses, cut my
twisted locks at more than one house
party, but, perhaps for the best, never
got more intimate than fingers on scalp.
The now nameless girl at India
Imports, cash register counter
between us, let me touch her tight
blonde curls, or I dreamed she did,
dry and soft, like a woolen sweater.
Elinore, tomboy, hair wavy and dark, worked
beside me at the drugstore, we played
tennis once, safely separated by the net,
before she took me home and told
me, the supportive friend, she was pregnant.
Memories have become symbols, as if those
ringlets I longed for in my ignorant youth
prefigured yours where I love to hide
and imagine we knew each other then,
when I was pierced, and we both were curly.
Image by Adam Strong
Poem by: Brian Mosher
Brian Mosher writes poetry and fiction from his home in Mansfield, MA. His work has appeared in Lily Poetry Review, Nixes Mate, Anomaly Poetry, eMerge, Esoterica, and others. His unpublished short story collection was shortlisted for the Unleash Press 2025 Book Prize, and his short story “Fragments” was a winner of the Nikki Hanna Literary Challenge. He has self-published 3 books, all available on Amazon. Mosher’s most recent collection, “A Muster of Melodious Musings” (2025) is published by Metaphysical Fox Press. His poetry chapbook “Relict” is slated for January 2026 release from Finishing Line Press.
Backwards Trajectory 