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January 14, 2026 · Source: Medium

My Cat Ran Away and I’m Supposed to Pretend This Isn’t About Men

On trauma, tenderness, and the urge to flee from being loved

Voice7
Lyric intensity5
The line9
Mind under feeling6
Held shape8
Literary mean 7.0 / 10

Highlights

'Standing in self-made misery and calling it growth' is a sharp aphorism.
The line

Voice

Direct, wry, and punchy; the parenthetical 'Still the cat' maintains the persona.

Lyric intensity

Concrete imagery of stairwell ghosts contrasts well with 'sitting under a car'.

Mind under feeling

Moves from feline anecdote to analyzing how nervous systems confuse safety with suffocation.

Held shape

Strong cyclical structure; opens with the escape, ends with the inevitable return.

Continue on Medium.

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