Recent trail footage caught a ghost contemplating the stars,
a cougar walking alone. This one appears solitary.
She found a bone, then ground her claws upon it.
The marrow was long gone. She had no kitten,
no mate to share it with. Alone, she steeled herself
to the road. They say animals forget, but
we know better.

Emma Johnson-Rivard is a midwestern writer of poetry and weird fiction. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Coffin Bell, Moon City Review, and others. She can be found at Bluesky at @badcattales and at emmajohnson-rivard.com