Fading

I lift the old dear
to my shoulder. He
nuzzles my cheek
at the burnt end
of a long life. At best,
he laps up a tablespoon
of broth each day;
the effort exhausts him.

Aging, our lights dim,
limbs collapse under us,
we forget we were once
followers of birds.
We rest our hearts on
all we have loved, purr
for a moment, and sleep.