The truth about cats and courgettes – Hannah Stone

The truth about cats and courgettes

My cat spurns laps and hearths,
shuns stroking;
wefts her tail with sluts’ wool
under the spare bed.
Spine retreats into corrugated peaks.

I do not speak of these signs
when I call my mother.
In turn, she neglects to mention
that the vegetables I left prepared in her fridge
last month are slime in the salad drawer.

We exchange scripted comments,
about meals to be enjoyed
and the companionship of cats.
Like her hand, holding the phone to her ‘good’ ear,
mine now has freckles which outstay the summer.

Hannah Stone co-edits the poetry ezine Algebra of Owls and convenes the poets/composers forum for Leeds Lieder Festival. Her first collection, Lodestone, was published by Stairwell Books in 2016 and Missing Miles by Indigo Dreams Publishing in 2017.