From the Editors Desk - cat haiku

WHR January 2016

From the Editor's Desk : cat haiku preview

Can one compare haiku to cats? Here is an answer from our own editor, Rohini Gupta, whose love for cats has driven her into writing a book of cat haiku entitled "whiskers and purrs" which will shortly be published as an ebook. We are pleased to present you a sneak preview of it.

Susumu Takiguchi

From whiskers and purrs, a book of cat haiku

A preview

Introduction from the book

There’s something about cats and something about haiku. Both are sleek and minimalistic, moving with fluid grace and without an ounce of extra fat or bloated syllables – usually. Of course you find the occasional fat cat or obese haiku, but they are the exceptions.

I discovered haiku about a decade ago. Cats discovered me long before that, making my life a railway station since childhood, arriving and departing at will.

The first cat to arrive was a big black male whom I found sitting in the flowerbed one morning as I returned from school. I found him again, a few days later, curled up on a sofa at home, in a house where my father disliked animals with passion. That cat made an art of waiting for the door to open to the right width and slipping in like a dark shadow without anyone knowing.

He was all black and delightful so naturally I named him Luck.

Since then there have been cats of all colours and sizes, some visiting for food and some staying for life.

The cat and haiku connection did not happen at once. One day, sorting out poems for an anthology I realised my haiku diary was full of verses about cats. When cats take over your life and own every corner of your garden, they also give you an intense and graceful show in return for food, shelter and petting.

Feline grace naturally leaked into my haiku. But humans are slow and it still did not occur to me until one day the cat muse spoke loud and clear.

Yes, a book, and a book with only cat haiku.

It turned out to be surprisingly easy.

I’m sure the cats approve. There is a look in their large yellow green eyes when they look at me now, as I put their plates before them. They look as if they might be nodding to themselves, yes, yes, she got it at last.

I took the title from a haiku which seems to encapsulate the whole cat experience which tends to be unequal and heavily loaded towards the feline side.

the haiku

sleeping

on the marigold offerings

the temple cat

garden ballet

the kittens leap for every

falling leaf

kittens in a basket

hard to tell whose paw

whose tail

half the earth away

she’s there with a cat

I’m here with the dog

first drop of rain

the garden suddenly

catless

feeding time

each cat wants

the other’s plate

trying

to take a photo

one large cat eye

mid sentence

a furry paw bats

my pen away

feeling watched

great green eyes

wait for lunch

white paws

under the money plant

shy kitten

black cat

white cat

watch a sparrow

step shake

step shake shake shake

wet garden

a forest of tall tails

cats following the

dinner pail

finally

nothing on the table

but the cat

xz@!tapm

my cat’s great

Indian novel

bird bath

the kitten lost in its

own reflection

baleful eyes

the bounding dog takes

a sudden u-turn

sprinkled

on the sleeping cat

tiny almond blossoms

coffee break

the cat fast asleep

on my open book

sunny morning

on every window ledge

a preening cat

waiting at the door

the cat shelters under

the dog

lost cat

desperate meows come

from the cupboard

dinner coming down

the meows reach

the fifth floor

crashes in the dark

two grey kittens play

all night

Cat photos and cover credits - Rohini Gupta