I made a clean sweep

today, out with the old husband, in

with a cat named Izzy who has promised

she will never pretend

everything is fucking fine when you know something

is wrong and you ask and ask in that querulous tone

of voice you hate to hear coming out of your mouth

and she also promised

never to speak civil to the bitch who lives

next door – better keep

her word or I will bustle her right out the door

too.