i'm still here

a man

calls wanting to buy my house.

he tells

me he can pay cash if

the price is right.

i pause

and look at the cat who

is now

on the kitchen counter

purring for

milk.

where will go to, i ask

the man,

where will i live

if i sell my house?

he ignores my question

and asks

me if i'd be willing to sell

within the next

three months.

i pick the cat up and together

we look in

the refrigerator.

we will give you a fair

price, the man says.

so what do you think?

i pour some milk into a saucer

and set it on the floor.

i let the cat down.

i think about all the places

i've lived.

each being where i was meant

to be.

but now,

where else is there to go.

hello, the man says, are you

still there?

yes. i tell him. i'm still here.