Familiar

Magister 

is my familiar 

he’d like to keep me

chained to the couch

as much as possible 

in order to keep me

out of trouble 

better than anyone 

he knows what

I am capable of.

There is something 

delightful 

in being chosen 

to know that 

one creature would say

let the rest of the 

world burn

I care nothing for

any other human

only this one

is worthy of my bed.

And it is 

reciprocal 

like all the best

love stories 

because there is 

no one else

who lets me

sob into his fur

with just the right

degree of sympathy.

That makes the rest

worth it

the leg biting

and meowing 

like a creaky hinge

at five in the morning 

the plaintive howling 

whenever the floor

is too cold

he is my very own

endearing monster.