Odds and Ends Twenty minutes ago, my cat pawed at the front door, Blinked at me, and wanted

out on the porch; a minute later, She cried to be let back in. Every ten minutes, she forgets That winter still holds fort out the door. Short-term memory Loss could serve me well: most often when the waitress At the diner smiles at me, and I think we connected, But as my ex-wife reminded me: connections are not My forte. On Thanksgiving, my sister said cats have excellent Long-term memory. If so, I know my cat yearns for warm Weather each time I open the front door. Another Thanksgiving, My ex-wife said time harmed us; she slid another dollar Into a slot machine. All around, the elderly wheeled Oxygen tanks through the casinos blue cigarette Smoke. Short-term memory loss could have done Me well that Thanksgiving as she placed dollar upon dollar Into those machines; no returns beckoned or called. Close to a decade later, I now, at this moment, label our marriage Bad thoughts, but today, a few days passed Thanksgiving, My cat finds her peace on the bed, curled-up on the blankets, The winter sun warming her, and, as she sleeps, I find my peace In knowing the waitress who will pour my coffee this evening Will ask if my day went well, and even in knowing all is formality, I will smile and say, not one has been better, and, really, what more Can I ask on a night when a good, strong coffee is all I came for.