then there was none

to ether gone are  

the shuffling of tiny feet 

on wood and tile

the sharp bark

when cats invade the yard

the soft cuddles 

left am I with

a quiet house

a clean house

an empty house

a heart too sore to mend 

she

if a heart could break

vaingloriously

her decline would be the attempt

 

instead I will walkabout

doing the day

with precision and care

only weeping

in the white space; in the air between

moments and breaths 

in dark corners

soon she goes

in the quiet

there is a chill

an exhaustive pulsing

near indiscernible 

felt distinctly

 

my heart

my breath

 

and in the other room she lay

wasting

Chelsea didn't eat today...

She stands

back arched, back legs

shaking 

from the weight of years

refusing food she

walksabout

front room to kitchen 

and there and back again for

sips of water, constantly

looking, searching, constantly

milling about, until

She lurches into 

a laying

inelegant, deeply 

emphatic

a tiny frame thrown into loud thud

 

“I don’t wanna need your love” ~ Stronger by Sorry Girls