Mhysa

after Mary Oliver

Specifically, my first cat: full of teeth,
a purr that could knit leper skin
together

Did it slither into the brackish waters of her body
like a snake on its empire of muscles?

Mostly, she’s as she’s been,
but her lungs are hung with tumor
Edison lights

Riddled is such an ugly word
It implies mystery, not decomposition
The only riddle I’d want answered is

How many winters does a little cat have?

Tanner Abernathy (he/him) is a poetry and high school English teacher living in Tacoma, WA. He loves poetry and watching others love poetry too. His work has most recently been published in Teach. Write., Failed Haiku, and Vermillion Lit.