I didn't notice my young wife
baked banana bread
sometimes I don't notice things
and I didn’t see at first
the tears in the corners
of her eyes thought
maybe I made her sad
not noticing the bread
which made no sense
why tears on a stunning Fall afternoon
she nodded towards
the empty space in our living room
Our late cat's climbing perch gone
cherished until the right moment
to give our dear pet’s things away
neighbor Tim in the doorway sunlight
finally found a girlfriend
who has a sweet cat
out the door went Alou’s memories
perch and collar and ceramic kitty bowl
cried together.
Originally published in Pangolin Review