The I is the one who drives down a two way highway in autumn. This is the future.
The I is a member of the LGBTQALMNOP+ consortium. Guess which one.
The I is the one I never see but other people do. Because he is different.
The I must write he is disabled. Sees mirrors wherever he goes.
People cannot stop watching the I. A jackknifed rig on the side of the road with bodies.
The I wants people to stop watching him. The “I” stands for Incognito.
People talk to the I. The I pretends to listen. Never remembers names.
People respond to the I. However, never in the fashion he expects nor desires.
You try to treat the I the same as you. But you are different. Just like the I.
The I notices all your differences too.
The I lies. Makes pies, hates to vacuum, fold clothes or floss.
The I, like you, encpsulates things on social media platforms. Read:
Consistently looking for crisis situations. Good natured guy looking for same. I abhor khaki pants, Southerners and endless circles of conversation on who you wish to be and why you’re not that way right now.
The I has trouble with the “Interests” category. He makes up interesting Interests.
The past is just far enough away. Simply an intersection.
In person, the I is not who you expect. The I expects this.
The I doesn’t want commitments either.
The I waits for you to leave so he can walk away in peace.
The I showed you a mirror. You did not like the accuracy.
The I prefers the hope of the highway. A future neither welcome nor ignored.
Gerard Lambert is a graduate of the Creative Writing M.F.A. Program at Syracuse University and a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College. He is the current Poetry Editor for The Lascaux Review and Opossum. He was a member of the Sewanee Writers Conference, Summer 2018. He is a freelance copywriter for traditional and digital media, teaches and continues to complete his full length manuscript. His poems have been published or are forthcoming in Flying South, Atlantic Quarterly Review, Leveler, SLANT and Freshwater Review. He can be found at gclambert@gmail.com.