i feed her grocery store fish and rodents
she politely muffles chewing sounds
with a pillow, head plunged down
in a naive attempt to vent

i got bite marks from her kisses
all the milk cartons are now rags
sure she's got her calming snacks
but mostly she just tears food to pieces

i travel often to appear smart
and'll let her fill my bag with papers
it makes he feel like we are neighbors
though we are always worlds apart

it'd be a silly orchestration
for me to shovel out a final hole
truth is i need her for the role
of partner in self-celebration