Pattie Flint
Rice Cats
The woman who cannot stand up
feeds rice to the cats that are missing ears and toes
and I think about how wasteful my life is
as I stuff souvenir saris into my backpack
The starving cats will eat the rice and be thankful.
They will puke it up and lap at the mess,
their ribs heaving as they purr like turbines,
while the woman with a back curled like a dry leaf
watches them passively and clicks her tongue.
I will grow up to feed lost things.
I will grow up beyond my need for nail polish and candled restaurants.
Bend me over.
I am tired of looking up.