Rusted rebar ribs the bridge deck
*Betula pendula* drinks heavy water
Her whiskers trace alpha particles
Purr vibrates through strontium ninety
Calico in the Zone
Survives what humans flee
Calico in the Zone
No fear of what we cannot see
Nine lives measure half-life time
She owns this contaminated ground
*Taraxacum officinale* pushes asphalt cracks
*Plantago major* roots in cooling pond silt
She hunts *Mus musculus* glowing faint
Bone seeks calcium finds cesium instead
Calico in the Zone
Survives what humans flee
Calico in the Zone
No fear of what we cannot see
Nine lives measure half-life time
She owns this contaminated ground
Morning fog carries iodine scent
*Solanum dulcamara* berries purple black
Her tongue cleans fur radioactive dust
Thyroid ticks like a faulty watch
Calico in the Zone
Survives what humans flee
Calico in the Zone
No fear of what we cannot see
Nine lives measure half-life time
She owns this contaminated ground
*Quercus robur* stands dead sentinel
*Pinus sylvestris* needles hold the fallout
She birthed three kittens spring ninety-six
Two vanished one stays nursing still
Sarcophagus looms grey horizon line
*Achillea millefolium* feathery on barren soil
Her amber eyes reflect reactor glow
Purr engine idles steady state
Calico in the Zone
Survives what humans flee
Calico in the Zone
No fear of what we cannot see
Nine lives measure half-life time
She owns this contaminated ground
Calico in the Zone
Calico in the Zone
Geiger slows to background hush
She blinks slow at the botanist
