Apprenticeship

Emma Johnson-Rivard

The cat believes, first,in hunger. The sovereigndiscipline of blood in the teeth, clawto flesh, the hunter taught bestat dawn. I wake from dreamingto live prey upon the pillow,her expectant stare waitingfor the strike.Come, she says.Now you learn.This is the kindness of cats, the lesson writtenin the scrambled clawand quiet red:Beloved, may you never wake hungry.

Feature Date

Series

Selected By

Share This Poem

Print This Poem

Color headshot of Emma Johnson-Rivard

Emma Johnson-Rivard is a doctoral student in fiction at the University of Cincinnati. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Coffin Bell, Red Flag Poetry, and others. She can be found at Bluesky at @blackcattales and at emmajohnson-rivard.com. 

Trace Fossils Review

Summer Issue 2

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

  • Featured journal

Trace Fossils Review is a quarterly online and in-print journal publishing poetry, prose and interviews. Founded on the belief that writing's resonance will outlast us, Trace Fossils works to foster writers in conversation with their craft and to support them in the process of becoming.

Poetry Daily Depends on You

With your support, we make reading the best contemporary poetry a treasured daily experience. Consider a contribution today.

DONATE NOW