It's Still Life

The Old Woman Considers the Weight of Absence the old woman with no cathas no cat to call her own,but her neighbour’s cathas claimed her as its own. she watches the cat and feelsthe weight of absence,and how it settles quietin the hollow of a room. the old woman remembersthe heft of a living thing,…

The Old Woman & the Cat Apply for the Code-Breaker Job the interview:the co-op manager scans the old woman’s résumé:“deciphered the neighbour’s wifi password?”“cracked the meaning of the crow’s suspicious silences?”she shrugs.“semiotics is practically cryptography.”the cat, meanwhile, presents a grease-stained napkin.“this is a one-time pad.”(the napkin reads: buy tuna or else.) the test:the manager slides…

The Old Woman Arrives Fashionably Late to Her Exorcism the ghost taps its foot.“you were supposed to be here at midnight.” the old woman checks her watch—a thrift-store relic,its hands permanently stuck at almost. “traffic,” she lies. the neighbour’s cat (her ride-or-die)hisses at the holy water font,then knocks it over. for fun. the priest sighs.…