Outside, stress grows fat and noisy in
my stomach. A moment’s distraction,

I watch my cat gnaw on rangy blades of
crabgrass. Experts say animals do this to

aid in digestion. Soon, she hacks violently,
her long body spasming like a tube of

shaky toothpaste. In a moment, she
unrolls her rough tongue to reveal a green

fibrous glob, courtesy of the enzymes
that refuse to build within her. The cat

resumes her al fresco supper. I too wish
I could settle my nerves with teeth.

 

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