A trail of brambles, thickened vines, and thorns,
emotion tangles, sneers at me, and scorns
a restful sleep. Its choking hands grip tight
upon my usual demeanor. Fight

is what I have to do so I don’t fall
into a hole of black despair. A wall
of whooshing water, tears unbidden, come.
I sob without control, am stricken dumb

as I mourn my beloved, now gone, cat.
His absence makes me feel that someone’s bat
slammed hard upon my head. The silence here
makes so much noise, and sends a sharpened spear

into the soft recesses of my heart.
I feel it as if someone threw a dart
that found its target. I will not forget
my Snuggles. This remains my safest bet.