A woman beside me on a plane, maybe mid-sixties, watches Reels on her phone. I scroll through my own feed. When she thrusts her phone in front of me, I jump, then watch a toaster—propped up on tiny plastic horse legs, ornamented with a tiny smiling horse head—pop out two tawny pieces of bread. I study her genuine smile, realizing I’ve forgotten how to talk to strangers. She helps me when I don’t answer. “That’s just hysterical. You gotta say you like it. How could you not?” I laugh, and finally find my words. “How could you not?”
Lauren Mantis is a southern lesbian living in Portland, Oregon. She writes poems and prose about love, community, and queer futures. www.laurenmantis.com Instagram: @laurenmantis Substack: fruitcakeliterary.substack.com