The Opposite of Nostalgia

the waiter at the mexican restaurant insists
he gave me a ride yesterday but i
wasn’t at the side of any road
he looks again laughs apologizes
i say they tell me i look a lot
like other people but don’t ever see them

i ask him where i was going and learn
my car broke down as i was headed
out of town i laugh i guess we’re both stuck

but it’s good to learn despite appearances
i am trying to make the great escape
not just ordering a burrito and beer

Robert F. Gross currently lives alone in Rochester, New York, where he does volunteer archival work for the Visual Studies Workshop. A one-time teacher, scholar, director and performer, he spends most of his time these days writing. Recent pieces have appeared in Sein und Werden, Gay Flash Fiction, and Bindlestiff: For Literary Hobos.