only after

i. cat

you will leap onto the wall
nimbly, all grace, leave
nothing behind, paws pitter-
pattering the night into morse
dots and dashes.

pause.

now you will cringe, tail swishing
blade-like, claws tapping
out, again, re-morse
slots and slashes. i listen
numbly.

ii. lift

you will stop ringing. now.
you chime when you are empty
you chime when you are not.
now you will stop. rest for the night.
then tell me tomorrow if we're
going up, or maybe you'd say we're
going down.

iii. coffee mug

you have lost your colour.
years of staining tabletops have taken their
toll. i have sipped too much regret
from you, now my teeth are
irreversibly yellowed, like the aged pages
of that photo album stowed away
somewhere, which, if i recall,
still has your mark on page 7.
discolourations are memorable.

(why?)