The “splendid now”

 

Hello friends, this 2017 poem celebrates my Zen masters, cats Max and Tony, experts at reminding me to connect with the “splendid now.” I call this feline instruction “Zen Lite” in its insistent softness  — no long meditation, no sitting with old bones that don’t move as they once did. Purring and nighttime kisses are important lessons that The Way (Tao) continues, regardless of the day’s ins-and-outs. Best, Gene

Half-Way Zen

A happy person cherishes the wonders taking place in the present moment—
a cool breeze, the morning sky, the smile of a child. (Thich Nhat Hanh)

You’ve heard of my magnificent Max,
poetic muse with a gifted purr,
but he can be deceiving as a Zen master,
connected with the splendid now.

He’s enough to make me feel inferior,
distracted by passion and flooding thoughts,
a long way from tapping easily into the present
when driving in rush hour or watching TV.

Let me put Zen and Max in clearer light
by introducing Tony, ten years his junior,
a rescue tabby from the mean streets,
without pedigree, only a bright white vest,

amber eyes, a cat without pretensions.
We waited in vain for the flourishing
of brotherhood, for the Zen conversion
described in manuals of spirituality.

Yet their interactions give special comfort
when they chase and howl around the house,
set turf distinctions, these good-enough
companions and saintly “no-good-niks,”

who remind that Zen Lite suffices,
with soft kisses on my forehead at night
to teach a loving path against self-inflation,
since the Tao isn’t keeping score anyway.