You curl against my heartbeat
like you’ve always known the sound.
Tiny paws
pressed into my shirt,
making biscuits
out of a life
that has known too many sharp edges.
You search for comfort
where there is no milk to find,
only cotton,
warm skin,
and a woman
who whispers,
“I’ve got you.”
You don’t know
that I needed this too.
That somewhere
between court dates,
empty bedrooms,
midnight poems,
and all the waiting,
I forgot
what it felt like
to be chosen
without hesitation.
But you did.
You climbed into my lap
as if there had never been
anyone else.
You purr
before my hand
even reaches your fur,
as though love
is something you’ve already decided
I deserve.
You try to nurse
at the fabric over my heart,
not because it feeds you,
but because it reminds you
that someone is here.
And maybe
that’s all either of us
has ever wanted.
Not perfection.
Not forever.
Just somewhere soft enough
to rest our tired hearts,
and someone
who doesn’t pull away.
Tonight,
you fell asleep
against my chest.
And for the first time
in a long while,
home
purred back.
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