Sedated by Martha Christina

Almost as light
as she was
as a kitten,
my old and
dying cat
lies quiet
in my arms,
something
she would
never have
done, alert.
The clock ticks,
the final hypodermic
waits while we wait
a little longer. Released
from pain, if she could,
would she thank me?



Martha Christina has published two collections: Staying Found (Fleur-de-lis Press) and Against Detachment (Pecan Grove Press). Her work appears in earlier issues of Red Eft Review, and recently in Star 82 Review, Crab Orchard Review, and Tiny Seed Journal. Born and raised in Indiana, she now lives in Bristol, Rhode Island.