Luxurious liver pâté,
Presented on a porcelain saucer

Wild-caught albacore tuna,
Glistening with oil

Roasted chicken,
Perfectly picked from the bone   

He refused it all.  

After two days,
Of panic and pleading,  
I phoned the veterinarian…

Once a cat has decided to die,
There is little you can do.
If he wants to starve,
He will succeed.  

A bowl of rich, warm cream
An offering To the goddess, Bastet
Held before me
I kneel
A silent supplicant.  

Gray eyes
Dewy with desperation
Two silver coins
At the bottom of a wishing well
Implore
“Just a little lap
Just a sip of sustenance
Please.”  

His eyes
Unblinking 
The ancient amber
Of a Medieval moon
Declare
“No.”