“Oliver (2018-2026)”
A small ginger
Stalking deli meat
On a Jerusalem counter
Street kitten given
Another life
When she
Shows up
He doesn’t even
Look up
Roommates:
The kitten gets
A shelf
Of endless bounty
He still curls up
Hunched over his
Bowl
Street kids gotta
Watch your back
New man
New friend
New lap
Always sticking himself
In the middle
Our first kiss
Cellos purring
Between us
Now we’re
Home
As the world
Closes
Time stops
Before our eyes
For him
We’re right
Where
We should
Be
Guests
Come to our tables and
Our hearts
He sits on
All of them
Everyone is
Welcome
To his
Presence
His uncomplicated
Being
Soft
Warm
Curious
From house to
Home
As street kids
Share the love
For what little
Time
Any one soul gets
He stays
He grows with
The furniture
Holding
As he is held
The body fails
The heart shudders
The breath wheezes through
Broken teeth
Seeking the dark and the quiet
He knows
He feels
His shadow lengthening
I see the
Wearied flicker
Dying
In his eyes
Do we not all draw
The same
Breath?
In a world
Spun of illusion
And Grief,
Fortunate
Are they who
Give so freely
Of their true
Selves