triveni spotlight: 11th June 2026

triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY hosts: Anju Kishore and Mohua Maulik GUEST EDITOR: Marilyn Ashbaugh

11th June 2026

triveni spotlight June 2026

the cat’s face—

as if it just swallowed

a whole spring day

—Issa (Tr. Sam Hamill)

The Spring of My Life and Selected Haiku. Shambhala Publications, 1997.

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Feline Aesthetics

Felines hold a rich, nuanced place in many cultures, and that sensibility carries beautifully into haiku. In Japan, cats are often seen less as pets to be controlled and more as independent presences sharing space with humans. This aligns closely with haiku aesthetics: attention to what is, without forcing meaning.

Cats can embody key Japanese aesthetic principles:

• Ma: their pauses, stillness, watchfulness

• Yūgen: their subtle mystery 

• Wabi-sabi: the quiet, imperfect, fleeting moment

The great master Kobayashi Issa wrote many cat haiku, often tender, humorous, and compassionate. Several of his cat haiku will be featured this month.

Marilyn Ashbaugh

Thank you, Marilyn, for your endearing topic. We look forward to ‘seeing’ cats with new eyes this month.

Team Triveni Spotlight 

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