When Shelley
died
I wiped foam
from her mouth
the bubbly kind that pippies
breathe out
when the tide
recedes.
.
I lifted her
carefully
from her basket
retracted her claws
arranged pink-padded paws
so that she'd be
comfortable
in sleep.
.
I swaddled her
tight
carried her outside.
Three feet
was all I could manage
three feet
and the last foot of that
cranky, chalky, clay.
.
The sides were
impossible
to keep smooth
and I wanted them smooth
they had to be
smooth.
they had to...
she deserved that.
.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Plankton_creates_sea_foam_3.jpg
