fur coat

the night after the fire, your fur coat
came alive. you were gone or you 
were on another moon. i bought cat food
but the coat would not eat it. i think
you said it was your grandmother's.
were we fighting? i think we were. i think
you were thinking of throwing me
in a pill organizer. i think i was not sure
how to survive. i ate too many vitamin gummies.
i took aim at the stars. i just wanted to make sure
the coat stayed healthy while you were
on a train to some other july. the coat growled
from the empty place. i put out my hand
& closed my eyes. i remembered my own
grandmother who once had a coat
lined with mink. i remember weeping & asking
her why she'd killed those soft creatures.
she explained, "we all have to wear someone."
the only thing that worked for the coat
was fresh meat. i walked up to the weird 
grocery store on the corner that had a walk-in
meat freezer & the same man cutting flesh
all hour of the day & night. the coat liked
to chew on the bones. eventually, she warmed up.
sat in my lap while we watched horror movies
in the dark. she slept long enough for me
to hang her back up. i think we got back together.
i think you have her now & you wear her
when the night is dripping with purple. 
i have a bite mark, not from her but it
reminds me of her. i never wore her but 
i wish i did just once. i think she would
have let me. i think i would have
looked fabulous. i worried about you 
coming home & seeing me wearing her.
what would you think of me? of us?