Death Follows Her

Death Follows Her

Death follows her like a cat
Meowing for a meal
Walking in between her frail legs
In figure eights
Purring with its tail up
Brushing against dried, flaking skin
Avoiding the metal walker
With yellow tennis ball shoes

“Here kitty, kitty. Are you hungry?”
“Meow, meow.”
She slowly bends down
 Stretches a trembling hand toward the bowl on the floor
While the other grasps the walker’s handlebar
The plastic bowl tilts and spills some leftover mix of kibble and wet food
“Meow, meow.” the cat slaps the pieces of kibble toward the back door.
“Shut up! Shut up!” she replies

She refills the plastic bowl
Chopping and mixing with purpose and determination
More canned wet food in with the premium formula of chicken and rice pellets
She sighs as she bends down once more offering the meal back to her companion
Painfully she moves away, slides her walker toward the kitchen table
And ever so slowly lowers herself into her kitchen chair
Her discomforting objections to the pain turning into cries
“Meow, meow.” death whispers. “Shut up! Shut up!” she replies defiantly.