Adopted

by Ellaraine Lockie

The family flees my bedside
when vertigo turns to vomiting

But the new stray cat stays
Stares in hair-ball camaraderie

Watches with what seems
to be unconditional incoherence

As I continually decline
comfort foods and favorite snacks

Before she executes comprehension
with dead center precision

When I return from the doctor’s
to find a bloodied mouse placed on my pillow