every morning
at 5am
I rise to cries
from the cat
with one torn ear
who I call
Jake
who has adopted me
or me him
the issue unclear
but the feeding
established
a routine
and though
others join him
he is the one
that gets my attention
for life
has not been kind
to this survivor
and I now
have been chosen
as a stand-in
for a benevolent
host
in this unkind
world