Sometimes the cat gets you out of bed
because you can smell the litter box
from your pillow
and it’s gross but
you say thank you
because you need her
just as much as she needs you
that’s especially obvious
when you can’t get out of bed
you’ve been awake two hours now but
there’s nothing out there for you
nothing feels right
nothing feels good enough
save for a long morning
in bed with someone who lives
in a different city
and asks you to stay the night
but you can’t
you’ve got to get home
to feed the cat.
Victoria Glidden is a writer and music journalist in Denver, Colorado. She is published in t’ART, Denverse, Westword, 303 Magazine, and The Curio Cabinet Magazine. Victoria studied Literature, Philosophy, and Religious Studies at Willamette University in Oregon where she earned her BA. She developed her love for reading and writing in Dover, New Hampshire, where she grew up, and at Phillips Exeter Academy. She hikes as often as she can and writes poetry every day.