MY CAT GIVES ME TAROT READINGS

when my cat licks my palm, 

i wonder what it’s like 

to have a tongue 

of stars. 

“can you see them?” 

i ask her. “the particles of 

andromeda? there on the lines?” 

how many meteor showers 

those whiskers must sense. 

she pauses, turning her 

attention to the open window. 

“what do 

the Sun and Moon and Star 

mean to a cat? and 

Death? what about the Empress?” 

when she recedes, 

green eyes wide, a breeze 

picks up and chills 

its way into the room, 

billowing the curtain. 

“does the universe scratch 

behind your ears, like i do? 

you know any secrets? 

do you know 

how it all 

ends? 

have you seen the stars 

twist and distort 

into pretzel shapes? 

is water hiding its colors 

from us and that’s why you 

paw at it in the 

kitchen sink?” 

she licks 

and when i ask 

too many questions, 

bites.

---

Sierra (they/them) is a genderfluid writer based in Oregon and loves to challenge the line between poetry and reality. Some of their work can be found in Bending Genres, Main Squeeze, and Southern Exposure. They featured in the 2024 season of the Oregon Fringe Festival with their chapbook Garden Skull.