Hayli McClain

Read in landscape mode!

an asexual’s thoughts on coffee

my roommates —
girl who can’t live without coffee,
girl who can’t stand the stuff, really.
#1 always trying to get #2 on board:
add more sugar, have some flavor syrup, how about
vanilla / hazelnut / gingerbread / caramel, add more milk more
more more, I’ll froth it up for you, try this fancy creamer,
we’ll make that blend instead, a less bitter brew, a stronger
brew, a different brew, we’ll find something you like
and I don’t get it.
I just don’t get it.
I breathe silent prosaic thoughts over my tea,
clean as cold whole milk:
my God
it’s all right, you know.
if you don’t like coffee,
you don’t have to drink it.

About the Author

Hayli McClain is an aspec writer from Pennsylvania pursuing her MLitt at Stirling University in Scotland. Primarily a fiction writer, her work has appeared in Flash Fiction Magazine, Luna Station Quarterly, and White Wall Review, among others. She’s not too hot on sex or coffee, but she’s happy for those who are.