Forced By This Title to Write a Poem in Third Person About Himself, the Poet Considers the Phenomena of Standing Waves, Dreams Involving Long-Lost Cats (Even If He Has Not Had Such a Dream Himself), And the Amazing Durability of Various Forms of Weakness
Five White cat always made sure no rats gnawed my books.
— Mei Yao-ch’en
His brain is squirming like a toad.
— Jim Morrison
Standing by the water, the poet wonders if,
as in this dream, his dead dog and Five White
might seize the separate ends of a rope and blend
their tugs, matching highs and lows, growls and purrs,
with near stillness, dawn to dusk and back again,
always equal, sharing through death their love
of work and honor. He throws a small branch
and asks the dog’s ghost to fetch, but it remains
at his side, as if reluctant to leave. How to release
what you no longer hold? Shadows disappear in direct
light, but always return at its departure. The
raindrop remains intact through its long plummet.
Words, though unspoken, hang like lofted kites
awaiting a new wind, a separate rhythm,
beyond compassion. He cannot hear it
but joins his dog in singing. The cat yowls along.
This piece first appeared in deLuge in fall 2016, and was drafted during the August 2015 30-30 challenge. Thanks to Jeff Schwaner for providing the title (which I edited for publication).
How to release what you no longer hold…I consider that every day it seems. (K)
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A lesson that’s taken me a lifetime to learn.
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Lots to contemplate here … including “Five White Cat” as translated … cannot get comfortable with that being precise in any language. Fine White Cat … maybe? Or, stretching, a black cat with five white spots? One cat the size of five combined? I guess the thing now would be to release my fixation on this tag? Or just howl along?
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Five White was Mei’s cat. If you plug “five white” into the blog’s search function, you’ll find my version of Mei’s lament about the cat. I’ve wondered what he looked like, and have imagined white spots.
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I’m guessing we’re stuck with a literal translation of “Five White” where some other could better convey Mei’s cat name. (Given the many literal translations of Chinese/Japanese poems that are vastly improved with a little smoothing.) Pet names are fascinating!
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Great lesson for everyone! Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for reading!
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Again, I’m floored by your cunning and insightful use of words. Oh, how my imagination lights up with images when I read you! ❤
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Oh, Carrie, thank you. You’ve made my day!
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Good one!
I’ve always found that 3rd person thing preposterous and pretentious. Along with only referring to writers by their last name – ugh.
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It certainly achieves a certain distancing effect, which is not always desireable.
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Probably the best poem I’ve read in a long time.
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Thank you, Marie! You’ve made my day. The poem, of course, would never have been written without Jeff Schwaner’s title.
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