Constant Companion

The cat jumps up into my lap

and settles in. Good morning,

all is cozy here in the kitchen

under pattering rain. She purrs

like a mourning dove, grips

my thigh with gentle claws,

cocks her head back to gaze

at me through half-closed eyes.

It’s as if we two were all

either of us needed now, always.

I rise for more coffee, my cat

at my bosom, rock her like a baby.