N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 0

MARC OLMSTED

Art by Lily Hogan

CAT PRAYERS

I

Missing cat Boylee-Boy same hole in the heart, father, mother, nephew, brother, HIV friend vanished into – loss abyss, collapsing star, odor of spoiled meat in the kitchen will I find the body my son the cat, under the sink – terrible visage? the burning hair smell of the dentist drill – a porcelain crown readied for my old skull

Climbing a ladder, looking in the neighbors’ yards

for the ghost

II

a phone call leads to a trash car where we find him dead, loop of intestine and ocean scent – we sack him up, return him home, call our lama, make our own prayers, weep

lingering iridescent bubble on tea offering to Tibetan protectors

MISSING CAT smeared rainbow flyer on a rainy phone pole night

1/15-20/2009