Cane sugar cataract into coffee. Brown sugar
tamped down tight and spicy. Powdered
sugar drifting my plate. First thought
in the morning. Every cup. Every afternoon
slump. Whisper of her name made my fingers sticky.

Doctor told me to break it off. I chopped
carrot sticks for that two o’clock fix.
Woke up sweating—trembling for a taste.
Cheated with honey and molasses,
told myself it’s not the same. Wanted
to touch that sweet spot one more time.

Tracy Mishkin is a call center veteran with a PhD and an MFA student in Creative Writing at Butler University. Her chapbook, I Almost Didn’t Make It to McDonald’s, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2014. Her work has appeared recently in Hartskill Review and The Quotable.