My cat weighs 12 lbs.
It is the weight of an era,
Of a decade of
Consumption and excretion.
It is the summation of love
That I have given
When he asked for nothing
But to be let out
Or back in.
12 lbs is the total.
And the curve of his tail
Around my leg
Is like his rhythmic breathing –
They are telltales of contentment,
12 lbs of contentment.
And I am 167 lbs,
13.91666 times his small frame,
And I am telltale of nothing
But the ability to use a calculator.
Still my breathing continues,
And my fingers wrap around this pen
As each inhalation he makes
Tickles his fur against my thigh.