The Cat Beneath My Skin

October 25, 2025

Some nights,
I hear him walking inside my ribcage,
tail brushing the wet bone.
He curls beside my heart,
kneading it
until it leaks to the dreams I have been hiding from.
When I wake
My pulse smells faintly of ash
and jasmine.
I never owned a cat.

Shameela Yoosuf Ali

Shameela, the Editor-In-Chief of FemAsia, is an artivist and PhD researcher in Media and Cultural Studies.. Now residing in England, she carries a deep nostalgia for her homeland, Sri Lanka, which echoes through her writing and Art. Through her research and creative work, she explores the intersections of art, identity, and activism, shedding light on underrepresented voices.

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