Vanilla Trauma
—comfort with consequences
It smelled like childhood, soft and clean,
Like baked consent and dopamine.
A frothy hug, a cotton lie,
Served warm beneath a greying sky.
You took a sip, and then one more,
A habit dressed as metaphor.
The sweetness hit, then something sour,
Like repressed thoughts in happy hour.
Vanilla masked what burned beneath,
The truth, the sting, the clench of teeth.
You smiled as if your past was neat,
Then stirred the foam and tasted heat.
It felt like love. But trauma, too,
Comes steamed, and topped, and just for you.
📜 Vanilla Trauma – The Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1½ oz Espresso (pulled like a painful memory)
- ¾ oz Vanilla Syrup (homemade, or from the aisle of denial)
- 6 oz Steamed Whole Milk (or substitute with anything resembling nurture)
- Dash of Cinnamon (because someone once told you that mattered)
- Garnish: Whipped cream swirl, looking a bit too perfect
Instructions:
Pull your espresso into a large cup.
Steam milk and vanilla syrup together until warm and whispering.
Pour over the shot. Top with a perfect swirl of whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
Serve with a distant stare and unresolved emotional texture.