Absence of cat

A space curls around me
It weighs down my chest when I wake up
Not kneading, not purring
Downstairs, Brian asks the air
if it's made him a cup of tea
An emptiness, a fail-to-greet-me
When I come home
Absence of cat

LMC 25Aug11

Sketch's last day

Right now it hurts to see a
photograph of your last day
I wish I'd spent it curled
around you, purring in the sun.

One day I'll see you as you come
sidling round the door
faintly, just a shimmer
and I'll know you're home again

LMC13Aug11

Reaction

No more cats, he says
and, in my head,
I know he's right
the road is just too busy here
to be safe for cats.
Yet in my heart I shout
so let's move house!

Sketch

From tip-paw timidity, tail trembling,

poised ready to flee,

to sitting confident on my chest

purring, kneading and looking

me straight in the eye;

her curious way of entering my dreams;

So scared at first that we felt blessed

when at last we gained her trust.

All ended by a speeding car

that never even bothered to stop

yesterday at 4pm her light

went out of our world.

LMC11Aug11