Yet has taken to sprawling on top of Mt. Grademore and biting me every time I reach for a paper or attempt to pet her.

Some days it's clearer than ever that I'm living in an allegory.

Note the details of this Still-Life with Allegorical Cat. The flame of learning sputtering in the fireplace. The half-eclipsed bottle of aspirin. The pot of tea with a bluebird hat and a subversive balaclava. The lightbulbs in impenetrable plastic packaging. The pair of nail clippers in case the Beast gets sleepy enough to permit a desperately needed claw-blunting ambush. The feline glance that says, "Why are analyzing me allegorically when you are down to the wire with this pile of marking?".