Milk Cow Cat

From Bless You, Three Worlds by Dai Pan (潘岱). Poem 14.

Beneath night's smell,
through window walls, four squares,
My mind painted a bright cow standing there.

I approached and spoke with gentle atmosphere,
"As a cat, henceforth, your name…..."
He heard, and laughed without a care.
Thank you, for your thoughts,
Please, feel free to share.

In silent library, where no readers dwell,
I drift to dreams where waters rise and fail,
Transforming mundane hours under spell,
I become a milker, raising you to tell,
"Where shall this milk now go?"
you ask and wait,
As I hold your profound fate.

Is it the wild wind that whispers verse and rhyme,
Or earth's rich soil that clothes you through all time?
Through forest paths, the wanderers sublime
Speak dreams anew, in their old stories, about boring life.

The cup's water turns to boundless sea,
The milk on lips returns the cat,
once more on this day, ordinary,
Where wonder hides in all we could see.

Cite as: Dai Pan, "Milk Cow Cat," Three Worlds, Bless You, poem 14, 2025. https://daipan.ink/bless-you/milk-cow-cat

Bless You 14

Milk Cow Cat

Beneath night's smell,
through window walls, // four squares,
My mind painted a // bright cow standing there.

I approached and spoke with gentle atmosphere,
"As a cat, henceforth, // your name…..."
He heard, and laughed without a care.
Thank you, for your thoughts,
Please, feel free to share.

In silent library, where no readers dwell,
I drift to dreams // where waters rise and fail,
Transforming mundane hours under spell,
I become a milker, // raising you to tell,
"Where shall this milk now go?"
you ask and wait,
As I hold your profound fate.

Is it the wild wind // that whispers verse and rhyme,
Or earth's rich soil that clothes you // through all time?
Through forest paths, // the wanderers sublime
Speak dreams anew, in their old stories, // about boring life.

The cup's water turns to boundless sea,
The milk on lips returns the cat,
once more on this day, ordinary,
Where wonder hides // in all we could see.