re:Virals 473

Welcome to re:Virals, The Haiku Foundation’s weekly commentary feature on some of your favorites among the best contemporary haiku and senryu written in English. This week’s poem, chosen by Linda A. Powers, was:

     
the cat asleep
next to the new TV
morning sun
—John S Green
The Haiku Foundation Haiku Dialogue 18 September 2024

Introducing this poem, Linda writes:

I find this haiku intriguing because it sets a scene of imaginative contrasts and connections. These resonances create an enduring haiku open to continued interpretation.

Opening comment:

A gentle, beguiling verse in the overlap between haiku and senryu, given additional weight by the insertion of “new,” this outwardly simple, everyday scene fits within the Daoist Zhuangzi’s Inner Chapter on ‘Enjoyment in Untroubled Ease.‘  A delightful example of how a subject of technology, a ‘new’ thing,  can be brought within the ancient philosophical traditions that have influenced the genre.

The cat does its own thing, by nature a successful animal in its domain, untroubled by human discourse, contentedly unaware of the workings of television (as Confucius’s fish are unaware of the lake, as Issa’s fish are unaware of the bucket).  It has reached its own enlightenment in the morning sun.  And so the cat is asleep, as the sage who understands the Dao “rests in peaceful repose.”  “Forgetting both oneself and the world…is the realm of serene, self-less inactivity.”  (Hakurakuten tr. Blyth).

That it is a new TV heightens the contrast between the cat’s exemplary acceptance and detachment, and the unsagely human desire for worldly news and entertainment. To which is added our typical excitement (and false pride) about the purchase of a new and better piece of kit — which as we know, quickly wears off.  Sic transit… As if screen size and pixel density changes the essence of worldly things transmitted any more than varying the form changes the essence of haiku. The cat is contentedly oblivious to all of this.

We have the new world contrasted with the ageless one, the artificial contrasted with the natural. There is no formal kigo although the verse has a feel of warmer months or climes; it’s a haiku for all seasons.

Ah, but the scientist in me notes that in morning sun the TV may be switched off. Does the cat take an interest when it is switched on? Field observation suggests not. Our well-fed, late cat in her detached wisdom was notably uninterested in the Presidential inauguration and even slept through David Attenborough’s Life of Birds.  What is depicted on the screen is not what is happening in the room.  Is a cat also attracted by the newness of an object? Yes, initially, if by “new” we mean novel rather than unused or replaced; like us a cat is curious until the new object becomes part of the acquis, part of pattern recognition which is how brains work efficiently to focus more on the unfamiliar than the familiar and predictable.

There is plenty to reflect upon, in quiet harmony and pleasure, and this natural, simple verse was added to my list of favourites for the year.

Leena Anandhi:

A cat asleep features on many paintings, many picture postcards defining a household- homely, peaceful, retired and quiet. This too brings up that scene of easy, quiet everyday life of an everyday cat. When you stare at the picture longer other details come to the fore. Cats prefer warmth. The new TV is not playing but it has perhaps been watched through the night and now warm after use . The cat picks its bed and its place even as the sun has just begun to warm the day.

Maurice Nevile:

Something has changed, nothing has changed. This is a peaceful image of the familiar (‘the cat’) meeting the new (‘the new TV’). The TV’s owner is no doubt discovering and enjoying its new features, perhaps a bigger screen, a clearer picture, crisper sound, but to ‘the cat’ what really matters is that ‘next to the new TV’ is the place to sleep and catch the ‘morning sun’. This haiku is a reminder that while we humans might revel in the latest technology, there is a simple joy (maybe the real joy?) in just finding a time and place to relax in safety and comfort. The last line introduces a literal source of warmth, the sun, but overall, the haiku shows the warmth of harmony and contentment, and of creating happiness for the animals with whom we share our homes and lives.

Melissa Dennison:

This has a happy vibe. A new day is dawning, the sun is shining and the pet cat is fast asleep. It conjures up a scene of contented domestic bliss. There is even a new tv. Overall this is optimistic. A simple snapshot of ordinary, everyday lived experience. It’s not high octane, dramatic or passionate but it has beauty and a value that is priceless. It’s the simple moments in life that bring so much pleasure.

Re structure, I like the repeating ‘e’ sound.

Ann Smith:

This was written in answer to the Haiku Dialogue prompt Looking out into our world.

I like the cosy domestic simple commonplace event pictured here. The ku captures a moment in time with simplicity and richness and humour. I like the way it makes us look both in and out at our world.

The sleeping cat, oblivious to the window on the world that is the spanking new TV set – fast asleep near it in the pool of sunshine* coming through that other window on the world in the sitting room.

I like the zooming in and zooming out and the small/far away and intimate/distant effects in the poem. I like too the way the ku compares the different reactions and priorities of human beings and the animal kingdom (yes I know we are animals too). The verse uses fragment and phrase to good effect and uses juxtaposition/toriwase matching the TV set and the morning sun. The TV set shining on its human owner the way the morning sun is shining on the human’s cat.
*p.s. Although the cat is sleeping next to the TV I’m assuming it is not because the TV gives out any warmth ….. I have just walked over to our telly and touched it to test this out and though it is slightly warm it’s so thin there is hardly room to swing a cat next to it let alone room for a cat to cwtch up to it.

Joshua Gage:

John S. Green has presented a leftist social commentary as senryu. Obviously, social commentary, even social justice, is nothing new to haiku, but this critique of consumerism is something fresh.

The line “next to the new TV” works as a pivot, and we are presented with two distinct poems:

the cat asleep

next to the new TV
morning sun

OR

the cat asleep
next to the new TV

morning sun

It is clear, though, by the choice of enjambment and line length, that the TV is the key image and pivotal focus of this piece.

So why?

If haiku is meant to be an appreciation of the season, with the vertical axis providing an emotional depth against with the horizontal axis provides immediacy and context, then the new TV is that unique moment juxtaposed against the image of a cat lounging in the sun.

The cat is disinterested in the new TV. It’s so bored, in fact, that it’s fallen asleep.

However, the owner is not focused on the cat, but on the new TV. As it’s morning, readers might assume the speaker is watching a morning show on TV, possibly enjoying a cup of coffee or similar, but the darn cat just keeps getting in the way of the new TV.

It’s a quirky commentary, and the fact that “new” is stated tells us that it’s the novelty of the television as much as the television and what it represents that’s important.

The consumer, here, is so focused on the new tv and what it can provide that they miss the gentle cycles of the natural world until it disrupts their lifestyle.

Green, here, is commenting on consumerism, the need for newness and novelty in our lives, that deep crave for something fresh and unique, when what we should be appreciating is the normal, the calm, the quiet pleasures of a simple lifestyle more in tune with nature than technology and media. It’s an interesting commentary neatly captured in a clever, tight senryu.

Nairithi Konduru (aged 9):

This poem could mean that the cat wasn’t able to sleep so it made its way to the TV, hoping watch a cartoon about a cat detective, but that the 🐈😺 science programme on TV is boring. Or maybe it just likes sleeping beside the TV because the TV is beside the window and the cat was feeling very cold, but when its sleeps beside the TV the morning sun’s rays hit it and it feels warm again.

Dan Campbell—whether we are there to see it or not:

A Critique of “The cat asleep / next to the new TV / morning sun” by Jerry the Mouse (From the Tom and Jerry cartoon series)

On the surface, it speaks of stillness, does it not? Tom, the evil predator, the ever-watching threat, lies dormant. I could venture past without being noticed, without the stir of fur or flash of claw. But what does this sleep represent? Is it the peace of the inevitable? A temporary reprieve from a danger that, in its slumber, is no less present?

And yet, beside Tom looms something far stranger—”the new TV.” A human invention. I have seen the humans huddled around it, their faces aglow not with the warmth of a fire, but with the cold, flickering light of something distant and detached. They sit transfixed by this box, their minds elsewhere, their attentions stolen from the world that cradles them. What is this obsession with the artificial? Tom, mouse murderer Tom, at least is of the earth, bound by natural instincts. But the TV? It is the epitome of distraction, pulling humans away from the now, from the very morning sun that rises outside their window.

Yes, the morning sun. So much simpler, so much more fleeting than the cold glow of technology. It touches everything indiscriminately—me and Tom, tree and concrete alike. Its beauty is in its impermanence. A moment of sunrise is a gift that cannot be possessed, only witnessed. And yet, it is so often ignored.

Perhaps Tom the cat, the TV, and the sun together form a trinity of sorts. Tom represents the ever-present threat, the reminder that life is fragile. The TV, new and distracting, symbolizes the human desire to escape that fragility, to lose themselves in a world of screens and stories, rather than face the realities around them. And the sun, it is the gentle reminder that no matter what we do, no matter how far we flee into our technological escapes, time will pass. The sun will rise and set, whether we are there to see it or not.

And I Jerry, exist in this delicate balance. I live in Tom’s shadow, always aware of danger, of the fragility of life. Yes, I Jerry, scurry past the TVs of the world, indifferent to the noise and light they generate, for my concern is with survival, with finding those brief moments of peace between the chaos.

Perhaps it is the humans who have lost their way, lost in the allure of the “new TV” while missing the true beauty that lies in the morning sun—and even overlooking a feline chasing mice in his dreams.

Author John S. Green:

Thank you to Linda A. Powers for selecting my poem.

Sometimes I write and speak in deeper philosophical intentions than my conscious lets on. Many writers have this attribute, I would think.

This poem is a simple observation of my home life—a moment witnessed. However, the combination of a sleeping cat, a TV, and the morning sun furthers the snapshot to a clear commentary on commercialism. What does a cat care about a TV? What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. A new TV emphasizes the trap consumers are in—the desire to “go shopping.”

L3 alludes to a cat’s propensity to follow rays of sunlight throughout the day. But, it also electrifies the true beauty of living—to immerse oneself in nature. Indeed, the most glorious things are free.

Perhaps the loyal guests to re:Virals have found something more profound in this poem then I am able to muster.

Many thanks to Keith for his tireless efforts keeping re:Virals rolling week after week

Thanks to all who sent commentaries. As the contributor of the commentary reckoned best this week, Dan has chosen next week’s poem, which you’ll find below. We invite you to write a commentary to it. It may be as long or short, academic or spontaneous, serious or silly, public or personal as you like. All with respect for the poet. Out-takes from the best of these take their place in the THF Archives. Best of all, the chosen commentary’s author gets to pick the next poem.

Anyone can participate. Simply use the re:Virals commentary form below to enter your commentary on the new week’s poem (“Your text”) by the following Tuesday midnight, Eastern US Time Zone, and then press Submit to send your entry. The Submit button will not be available until Name, Email, and Place of Residence fields are filled in. We look forward to seeing your commentary and finding out about your favourite poems!

Poem for commentary:

     
when the dairy delivered the milky way
—Laurie Greer
The Heron’s Nest, Volume XXVI, Number 3: September 2024

The Haiku Foundation reminds you that participation in our offerings assumes respectful and appropriate behavior from all parties. Please see our Code of Conduct policy.

Footnote:

John S Green has been a guest editor for the Haiku Dialogue. A sample of his haiku together with John’s bio may be read in THF’s Haiku Registry.

A tough choice this week between focus on the craft and focus on the essence. Dan has found his metier in these short creative pieces that convey the points from an oblique angle, I think; and a joy to read.

We all know about the ancient worship of cats in Egypt and other cultures. Now for your amusement, a digression into KAIBYŌ: The Supernatural Cats of Japan by Zack Davisson, which he says is the most popular book he has ever written, and which seems to be sold out everywhere. However, there is a fascinating article by him about the subject on the Smithsonian website.

——-

Received after the deadline from Lakshman Bulusu:
“This haiku has the connotation of a cat seeking warmth from a gadget like TV as well as the morning sun. When cats sleep they have a slight drop in body temperature, so laying in the sun helps compensate for this and keeps them warm and cozy.

Gadgets like TV generate warmth, so the cat enjoys sleeping in front of the new TV (fresh warmth) plus the background tonal sound helps the cat sleep well.
Also, the cat is in presence of people. The morning sun refers to warmth coming from the morning sun serves as a cozy bed for the cat.

Metaphorically, the cat sleeping in front of the new TV signals its sunrise and the cat is curled up in sleep in the warmth of the sun. The poet has remarkably connected L1 and L2 and created the sparkle in L3..”

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