Elixir for a Perpetual Caretaker
First it was one small dog, then it was two.
Somehow the cat.
Just when you thought your caretaking days
were done. Just when you thought
maybe I’ll go to Naples. The crowded market
the ink squid. I’ve always wanted to see Vesuvius.
The ash and fallen wreck of it. The stillness
of mummification.
Just when you thought you could donate your armor
to Goodwill, the house is full of creatures
all queuing up for a feast. Some whine, some pace,
some wait patient near the door.
Even your dead mother is there, standing at the end
of the line, holding her empty plate.
-First published in Thimble Literary Magazine
Katherine DiBella Seluja is the author of three poetry collections, most recently, Point of Entry (UNM Press, 2023) which focuses on issues of immigration and ancestry. Katherine has worked as a nurse practitioner in multiple pediatric settings and currently is employed by Presbyterian Hospital in northern New Mexico. Her website is: katherineseluja.com.