[ID: a screenshot of a tweet by KateClanchy1 with an image of a poem attached
What animal is your heart? Is one of my favorite poetry questions. But I've never had an answer like this. Kyla is 17.
title: My heart is a cockroach, caught in the mouth of an alley cat
This cat has not always been feral. It has known
the warm spot on the rug in front
of the fireplace. But on a summer's day someone
left the door open. The cat, not knowing
any dark thing, leapt away from love. (My heart
leaves open cans of sardines for the alley cat.
Even runaways full of regret deserve to be fed, )
The cat makes a bed of missing pet posters
And the cat is hissing at shadows in its sleep.
And the cat is shivering in its matted fur.
And the cat is meowing at the restaraunt backdoor.
A waiter, who is also my heart, leaves the backdoor open.
So the cat can be warm for the rest of his shift.
But the cat is feral. The owner of the restaraunt
shoves him back into the snow with a broom.
The cat sleeps until the snow reminds it of the rug.
Small things seem sadder when they are alone.
So the cockroach does not mind being in the jaw
of something just as lonely. A little girl
follows the paw prints that made a snow angel
around the cat. Despite the cockroach
in its mouth and its matted fur she picks it up.
And the cat, who knows of dark things now,
spends summer in the lap of the little girl
[ID: reaction image showing a drawing of a cat crying and leaning against a wall captioned "wait. hold on a minute. i think i need a moment wait. wait, wait, hold on. i need a moment. i need. to sit down i think wait. wait. old honh on, wait, please i am breaking down. hold on, wai" end ID]
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