print previewback TALVIKKI ANSEL
Somewhere in Space
[Calico gray . . . ]
Calico gray, rag-tag she chose our crawl space,
pile of insulation unmoored to the floor
or ceiling, entry above the plywood
tacked there, temporary cover for the hole
beneath the house. Dark body circled,
eyes panned back at the flashlight,
miner’s glint.
She chose the dark cave under the shed
in summer, trail of kittens
out to the thick iris fronds’ swaying shelter,
the runt, ripple of white and gray,
calico, orange kitten who bent his shape
growling, over the heart of a chipmunk.