ancient grotto
You came into my life
when I had nothing left
just quiet rooms
and heavy days that wouldn’t lift.
Then you padded in,
small and gray,
with white little markings
like moonlight painted across you,
and somehow
you became my whole world.
My sweet girl.
You make me smile
even when I’m crying into my hands.
When my chest gets tight
and the panic creeps in,
you climb onto me without asking,
press your tiny weight against my heart,
and purr
steady, warm, alive
like you’re stitching me back together
one vibration at a time.
My little ghost girl,
floating down hallways at midnight,
silent paws, glowing eyes,
appearing out of nowhere
just to make sure I’m not alone.
But you’re not always soft and sleepy.
Most days you’re a streak of gray lightning
racing down the hallway,
sliding across the floor,
chasing nothing and everything at once.
You bring me toys like trophies,
bat them under the couch,
then cry dramatically
like I’m the one who lost them.
You pounce on shadows,
attack my feet under blankets,
zoom in wild circles
like the house is your kingdom
and you must defend it at full speed.
You’ll be half-asleep one second,
then suddenly explode into motion
tail high, eyes wide,
daring the world to keep up.
And I sit there watching you, laughing,
thinking how something so small
can hold so much life,
so much light.
You didn’t just curl up in my lap.
You filled the empty spaces.
You made the silence softer.
You gave me a reason to stay.
My ghost girl.
My chaos.
My comfort.
My forever.
fallen moat
ashen scarab
serene geode
