Not long after
the family
had gone to bed

my son, his wife
my grandchildren
the dog

their cat came
out of hiding
and jumped up

onto the kitchen
table where
I sat

trying to write
he paid me
scant attention

save for a moment's stare
he sniffed
my shirt

checked out an
empty teacup
slowly walked

across the page
that I was
writing on

jumped down
and disappeared
into the room

leaving behind
a feeling
that he'd looked

me over and
and judged me
simply not worth

the time it might
take him to
know me better

though earlier
he'd let me
stroke his back

it seems that
counted little
in his book