Tuesday, June 4, 2013

poem of the day 06.04.13


queen of sheba

we are down an a/c unit
with one cat left in this dusty apartment

drinking iced decaf coffee
that puddles from the heat
and makes brown rings on the wine-stained table

it’s too blistering to drink wine
on a night like this

we hit the bedroom an hour early
lay in the cool of the dark room
with the fans blowing their mercy on our flesh

when i think to save
that remaining cat from the heat

go into the living room and pick her up
though she howls and tries to hang on to an old blanket
with the city of pittsburgh stitched into it

turns tail and runs out of the room
the minute i set her down
right back into the stifle

just like a fucking idiot, i say to my wife

then we both talk about you, sweet belle
gone a year now

our little siamese mix of quiet joy

who used to lay on my pillow on hot nights
like the queen of sheba
letting the fans blow and blow their offering

the smartest cat ever created for a sweltering
spring night

missed

so sorely and completely

missed.                                     

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