Current Issue 2026

I remember the Taste

of sweet citrus relief-

of experienced hands gifting me

a brief glimpse into ecstasy.

Orange blends with vanilla in a soda cup

rising through a thin straw

at the insistence of my lips.

This is the Taste of nostalgia:

of Irish lullabies and

dinosaur pop-up books,

of walls stained yellow

from cigarette smoke.

This is the Taste of “limited time only”s:

of enjoy it while it lasts,

of wanting to repeat moments before

they’re gone for good.

This is the Taste of yearning

for last times occuring before 

knowing they were

           last times.

For the return of the once perceived

longevity that the future held,

for days when I didn’t need to

remember a Taste.