Cold Brew Coffee: A Symbol of Modern Longing and Distraction

What Is Cold Brew Coffee in the Poems?

Cold brew coffee appears in Catherine Cohen’s God I Feel Modern Tonight as a tangible marker of the speaker’s urban, late-waking lifestyle. Unlike a simple cup of coffee, cold brew is a deliberately crafted beverage—steeped for hours, served iced, and often associated with hip cafes, artisanal branding, and a certain performative sophistication. In the poems, it functions not just as a caffeine delivery system but as a prop that signals mood, time of day, and emotional state.

The most direct mention occurs in chapter 3 (poem I wrote after I crummed), where the speaker, after waking at 2 p.m. and visiting a CityMD for health anxiety, buys a cold brew and immediately “felt like falling in love.” Later, in chapter 63 (road trip poem #20), a more generic coffee appears—left on the car roof, forgotten as the speaker speeds away. Chapter 57 (poem I wrote after I took a photo of my tits with a self-timer alone like an adult) pairs waking and having coffee with a settled, complaining-but-coping routine. These appearances trace an arc from romantic possibility through domestic coziness to distracted carelessness.

Where and How Cold Brew Recurs

The cold brew in chapter 3 is the most emotionally charged. The speaker’s late start—waking at 2 p.m.—already suggests a life out of sync with conventional schedules. The purchase is a deliberate act of self-care that immediately morphs into a fantasy of romance. Caffeine and love are conflated: both offer a jolt of pleasant intensity, and both are fleeting.

By chapter 57, coffee has lost its romantic charge. The speaker describes “waking up and having coffee / complaining and getting over it” alongside a partner. Here coffee is no longer a catalyst for fantasy but a shared ritual within an established relationship. The complaint-and-release pattern hints at contentment that is ordinary, not exhilarating.

In chapter 63, the coffee becomes an afterthought. The speaker has “gone full-tilt suburban mom,” leaving the cup on the car roof as the vehicle speeds off. This is less about the drink itself and more about the speaker’s distracted state—preoccupied with Instagram unfollows, sunset versus sunrise debates, and the act of unbuttoning jeans while driving. The coffee is a sign of a life where even small pleasures are overlooked.

Character Connections

The Speaker

The speaker uses cold brew to manage her modern anxieties: health fears, late waking, and a craving for excitement. The drink is a quick fix for boredom. In chapter 3, the cold brew purchase follows a trip to CityMD—a clinic that feels like a casino—showing how healthcare, caffeine, and love all blur into consumer choices. For the speaker, cold brew is both a literal stimulant and a symbolic invitation to feeling.

The Lover / Partner

In chapter 57, coffee is shared with a partner. The speaker is “in love with the grocery store” and watching the partner eat strawberry stems like a party trick. The coffee here is domestic, not romantic. It anchors a relationship built on small routines rather than grand gestures.

The Ex-Boyfriend and Therapist

Though neither directly appears with cold brew, the ex-boyfriend haunts the collection as a figure the speaker is trying to get over. The cold-brew-triggered “falling in love” feeling in chapter 3 echoes a broader pattern of using consumption to fill emotional gaps. The therapist, who urges growth to reduce suffering, would likely see the cold brew as another symptom—a temporary fix for deeper discontent.

Theme Connections

Modern Anxiety and Discontent

Cold brew is the fuel of the anxious urbanite. The speaker wakes at 2 p.m., goes to a clinic convinced she is dying, then buys a cold brew to jump-start her day. The drink serves as a crutch against the pressure to be productive, healthy, and desirable. As noted in themes/modern-anxiety-and-discontent, the speaker’s restlessness is often soothed by consumer purchases.

Performance and Authenticity

Buying a cold brew is a performative act—a sign of being in-the-know about artisanal trends. The speaker performs modernity by drinking trendy coffee, just as she performs vulnerability on social media. The cold brew signals “I am awake, I am busy, I am interesting.” This connects to the theme of performance-and-authenticity.

Digital Culture and Social Media

Cold brew is inherently Instagram-worthy. In chapter 63, the company that sent free sunglasses unfollows the speaker on Instagram, and the coffee is literally left behind—suggesting the disposable nature of digital connections. The speaker’s life is mediated by screens and branded experiences. See digital-culture-and-social-media.

Love and Disconnection

The cold brew in chapter 3 directly triggers a love feeling, yet the relationship that follows (in chapter 57) is ordinary, with coffee as routine. The juxtaposition shows how love in the modern era can be manufactured by a purchase. The poem questions whether romantic excitement is anything more than a caffeine rush. Explore love-and-disconnection.

Body Image and Self-Critique

Coffee is also a companion to body discipline. The speaker jokes about buying Diet Coke (chapter 57) and not eating sugar. Caffeine suppresses appetite, and the cold brew becomes part of a larger performance of thinness and health. This theme is detailed at body-image-and-self-critique.

Four Study Questions with Answers

1. Why does the speaker equate getting a cold brew with “feeling like falling in love” in chapter 3?
The speaker’s life is structured around quick hits of pleasure. Cold brew provides a caffeine jolt that mimics the excitement of new romance. The line shows how consumer habits can substitute for genuine emotional connection—both offer a fleeting, intoxicating high.

2. How does the coffee in chapter 57 differ from the cold brew in chapter 3?
In chapter 57, coffee is part of a daily routine with a partner: waking, having coffee, complaining, moving on. It is domestic and ordinary, not a catalyst for fantasy. The shift shows how the same object can symbolize romantic possibility in one context and comfortable familiarity in another.

3. What does leaving coffee on the car roof in chapter 63 reveal about the speaker’s state of mind?
The speaker is distracted by social media (unfollows), small rebellions (unbuttoned jeans), and a desire to be elsewhere—until she changes her mind. The forgotten coffee mirrors her scattered attention; she is physically present but mentally elsewhere. It represents the difficulty of savoring the moment.

4. How does cold brew connect to the theme of modern anxiety in the collection?
Cold brew is a self-medicating tool for a speaker who wakes late, fears death, and craves stimulation. It symbolizes the endless pursuit of energy and focus in a world that demands constant productivity. The drink offers a temporary escape from anxiety without addressing its root causes.

Broader Significance in the Collection

Cold brew coffee is more than a beverage in God I Feel Modern Tonight—it is a shorthand for the speaker’s way of being in the world. She reaches for caffeine the way she reaches for attention, validation, and love: quickly, hungrily, and with the belief that the next hit will finally satisfy. Yet the cold brew never fully delivers. In chapter 3 it sparks a fantasy; in chapter 57 it settles into routine; in chapter 63 it is forgotten. The arc mirrors the speaker’s own journey from desperate longing to wary contentment, without ever fully resolving the tension between the two.

For a deeper dive into the speaker’s psychology, see the character analysis of the speaker. To understand how this symbol fits into the book’s overall critique of modern life, read the themes overview.