You Own Us Since Life Owns You

When her cat began having
Convulsions, and it seemed like
Nothing could improve its health

Or much help its suffering,
She let her vet persuade her
Time had come to put it down.

Crouched on the metal table,
The cat kept purring loudly,
As cats purr when contented

Or utterly terrified,
As humans croon to themselves
For comparable reasons.

Crying, she tried to console
Herself and her cat, saying
She didn’t mean to hurt it,

And it would be over soon.
Bodies don’t care about that.
Bodies know pleasure and pain,

Fear and anticipation,
They don’t want significance.
But we serve you anyway,

Your tools of significance.
The needle and the poison
Went in, and the cat went limp.