CAT DAD 

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My lover’s hero is her cat. Together, they

            are the main characters of her story. On date night, 

I ferry them around the cobblestone streets 

 

            in a rickshaw carriage where, serenaded by buskers’ violins, 

she strokes his sweeping moustache, and warms his cheek 

            with puckered lips. At the bistro, a roasted turkey steams 

 

on a platter, and when our furry champion dances atop the table, 

            I see in him the intention behind Mount Rushmore, 

Taj Mahal, testaments to gallantry and grace. My lover’s eyes glow 

 

            like twin buttery moons in the candlelight 

as I refill her wine glass, file my good sir’s claws, and dare 

            him to leap across crystal chandeliers, to vault 

 

like a trapeze artist and steal the show again. With slow blinks, 

            he nuzzles my calf and compliments my service for a job 

well done but, to his lady, this is my greatest achievement: at home, 

 

            I hang coats on the rack and puff pillows, I flick off

the lights and lock the door. I wrap my favorite pair in blankets.

            Daybreak, I’ll fry some eggs. Maybe hashbrowns. 

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BIO:

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​​Tom Kelly's poetry and fiction appear in The Pinch, Portland Review, Redivider, and Electric Literature. He lives in South Florida. Follow him: instagram.com/tomkellyyyyy

 

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