ELIXIR FOR A PERPETUAL CARETAKER

First it was one small dog, then it was two. 
Somehow the cat. 
 
Just when you thought your caretaking days 
were done. Just when you thought 
maybe I’ll go to Naples. The crowded market
the ink squid. I’ve always wanted to see Vesuvius
 
The ash and fallen wreck of it. The stillness 
of mummification. 
 
Just when you thought you could donate your armor
to Goodwill, the house is full of creatures
 
all queuing up for a feast. Some whine, some pace, 
some wait patient near the door. 
 
Even your dead mother is there, standing at the end 
of the line, holding her empty plate.

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