Bradley Mason Hamlin writes

Broken Cats

My girlfriend 

she only 

likes

broken cats

she’ll find them 

in haunted shelters 

or lost 

crying in dark shadows

and 

they’ve always 

got mental issues

feral crazy 

but wanting the love 

she can give them

and just when I was 

pointing this out to her

just when 

I was going to say 

something sarcastic

about the ones 

that run 

hide 

show their fangs 

and refuse training

I realized 

I too was most likely 

another broken cat 

she took in

many full moons ago 

when the alley 

seemed like everything.

 

 Alley Cat -- Maya Hiort Petersen