Cosmic Cat
Cosmic Cat
Cosmic Cat
Index
The Cosmic Cat from Berkeley
Cosmic Cat Haiku
Cosmic Cat
Cosmic Cat Demands Respect
Cosmic Cat Lives in a Shelter in Berkeley
Cosmic Cat Finds a New Home
The Cosmic Cat Adopted Sandra
Kitty, the Cosmic Cat Says Tuna Fish Is the Best Food
The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley’s New Home (Prose Version)
The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley’s New Home Poetic Version
The Cosmic Cat from Berkeley
I next encountered the divine
Many years later in Berkeley, California
I had gone home to be with my Mother,
While taking leave from my job
in the Foreign Service.
I had two weeks there by myself
My wife came later
near the end of the trip.
Every morning I woke up.
had coffee,
Did yoga.
Spoke to my mother
Who was sliding into dementia
Day by day losing her reason.
Then I would go out
And explore the city
Go to a museum
Go to one neighborhood
And just be there.
Rediscovering the Bay area
After years of being away.
Having dinner with old friends
Seeing movies etc.
Every morning a black cat came to visit.
The cat was friendly and waited for me.
And then would join me in my morning rambles.
Following me to the bus stop.
I started talking to the black cat
He looked at me
with a spark of divinity.
In his dark, soulful sad eyes
I called him the cosmic cat.
He seemed to like that.
He would look at me
And I opened up to him
Told the cat all my dark secrets.
As I walked the streets
Of the old neighborhood.
Every morning and every evening the cat,
Would be there to greet me,
And to carry out our endless conversations.
Then I had to leave
And in our final conversation
I asked the cosmic cat,
“Say, cosmic cat are you just a cat
Or are you a demonic cat
Are you possessed by God
Or by Satan?”
The cat looked at me
And I realized that God
Was indeed residing in the cat.
But that god was residing everywhere
All I had to do was open my mind
And the rest would follow.
So I said goodbye to the cosmic cat
And he purred and came up to me
And I felt the comforting presence of the divine.
As I said goodbye to the cosmic cat
And said goodbye to my mother
As this was the last time
That we would be able to talk.
I told my mother about the cosmic cat
She smiled and said that the cat
was there for me and her
to comfort us both in our hour of need.
and that the cat was indeed
a cosmic cat.
Cosmic Cat Haiku
black cosmic cat
from Berkeley city
is a Buddha cat
The black cosmic cat
Lived in Berkeley City
In tune with the divine
The buddha cat is
Deep in his inner cat verse
Contemplating life
Cosmic Buddha cats
Thinking about life itself
Lost in inner space
The black cosmic cat
Contemplating how to kill
Death to all humans
Cosmic Cat
Cosmic
meditates
deep in cat verse.
Thinking deep dark thoughts.
Cats are just aliens—
who can fathom what they are?
What cats really think of us.
Are we humans
their friends
or their slaves?
The Cosmic Cat,
lost in thought,
looks at me.
Cosmic Cat Demands Respect
The Cosmic Cat
had grown up
on the sometimes
mean streets
of Berkeley,,California .
Where he hng out
on the CAL campus,
sometimes playing
with the frolicking
college students
Digging the vibe
of the CAL Drummers
Dancing to the cool beat
One day, the president
of the campus Friends
of the Cats
adopted the Cosmic Cat,
who came home
to their house
high in the Berkeley Hills.
The Cosmic Cat felt at home,
soon became well known
as the Buddha “Cosmic”
Cat of Grizzly Peak.
He would often
Sneek out
To go hang
With his friends
The CAL Drummers.
But always came home
For dinner.
The Cosmic Cat
demanded respect
from the humans
who came to worship him.
Cosmic Cat Lives in a Shelter in Berkeley
The Cosmic Cat
lived in a cat rescue shelter
in Berkeley,.
He had grown up
on the sometimes mean streets
of Berkeley,
where he hung out
on the college campus,
sometimes playing
with the frolicking college students
Digging the CAL drummers
Daily afternoon jam sessions
Dancing along with the cool beat..
They all liked the Cosmic Cat,
and he loved them
as only a Cosmic Cat
can do.
One day the president
of the campus Friends
of the Cats
adopted the Cosmic Cat,
who came home
to their house
high in the Berkeley Hills.
The Cosmic Cat felt at home,
soon became well known
as the Buddha Cat
of Grizzly Peak—
famous for meditation,
and famous for being
just such a lovely
Cosmic Cat.
The Cosmic Cat Adopted Sandra
Sandra Lee grew up
on a farm in Eagle Point
in southern Oregon.
The Cosmic Cat was a
smoky gray and white
feral cat,
the leader of a band
of several feral cats
found in barns on farms.
The Cosmic Cat
approached as if to bite.
The Cosmic Cat looked at her
with the feral cat’s fear of humans
in her deep, penetrating eyes.
She spoke with the cat,
who communicated with her
telegraphicaly.
Once she was sure
Sandra was a friendly human,
the Cosmic Cat allowed Sandra
to pick her up.
Sandra held closely in her arms
the Cosmic Cat.
The Cosmic Cat adopted Sandra,
becoming her constant companion
for many years.
The Cosmic Cat knew things
because he was a Cosmic Cat,
tuned into the universe,
meditating every day,
teaching Sandra
her cosmic secrets.
Kitty, the Cosmic Cat Says Tuna Fish Is the Best Food
Some say chocolate is the best food.
Frank Zappa, in “The Muffin Man,”
proclaims the muffin is good.
My kitty, the Cosmic Cat,
thinks both are no good.
She thinks tuna fish is the best—
but it is all good.
The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley’s New Home Prose Version
The black cosmos cat lived in an animal rescue shelter in Berkeley, California. He had grown up on the sometimes mean streets of Berkeley, California, fending for himself at a young age until he was picked up by animal rescue staff and put into the animal rescue center where he waited for possible adoption. He had hung out on the college campus, sometimes playing with the frolicking college students, who liked the cosmic cat, and he loved them as only a cosmic cat can do,
One day, the president of the campus friends of the cats, Salmon Rubinstein a philosophy major, saw the cosmic cat meditating and realized that the Cosmic cat was indeed a cosmic cat. He instantly fell in love with the Cosmic cat, and alerted animal rescue who took him to the shelter for a check-up, etc before clearing him for adoption.
He went to the shelter daily to check up on the Cosmic cat and the other cats that the friends of the Cats had rescued during the annual Cat Rescue week when the university, the friends of the Cats, and local Berkeley cat lovers put aside their differences and rescued many of the cats, reluctantly realizing that there were too many feral cats in the city, and something must be done – fending off calls to rid the city of the vermin by the cat haters of the city, even in a liberal enclave such as the Bay Area there were cat haters who saw the feral cats as vermin infesting the city and causing damage to their million dollar house values.
.
Sam adopted the cosmic cat, and his colleagues adopted several other cats. they helped raise money to keep the shelter alive and to prevent the mass putting down of the cats. The Cosmic cat and two other cats came home to their house high in Berkeley Hills.
The cosmic cat felt at home, and soon became well-known, as the Cosmic Cat of Grizzly Peak, famous for mediation. He often would lead meditation sessions with the students and the other cats. In the end he was famous for being just such a lovely, Cosmic Cat.
The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley’s New Home Free Verse Version
The cosmic cat
Lived in a cat rescue shelter
In Berkeley, California.
He had grown up
On the sometimes mean streets
Of Berkeley
Where he hung out
On the college campus
Sometimes playing
With the frolicking college students
Hanging out
with the CAL Drummers
Digging their vibe
dancing to the cosmic beats.
They all loved
the cosmic cat
And he loved them
As only a cosmic cat can do,
One day the president
Of the campus friends
Of the cats
Adopted the cosmic cat
Who came home
To their house
High in the Berkeley Hills/
The cosmic cat felt at home
Soon became well known
As the Cosmic Cat
Of Grizzly Peak
Famous for mediation
And famous for being
Just such a lovely
Cosmic cat.
Cosmic Cat Digs the Cal Jammers’ Buddha Bar Vibe
T
The Cosmic Cat
was a feral cat
who hung out
at Cal’s Lower Sproul Plaza.
He always showed up
for the Cal Drummers.
The Cosmic Cat loved the vibe,
danced along with the Drummers
who all loved him
and called him
the Cosmic Cat,
because he was known
to meditate
like a Buddha Cat
before the music
woke him up.
The CAL Drummes
jammed every afternoon
when the weather was good
and the spirit moved them.
The CAL Drummers ,
as they called themselves,
ranged in age from 12
to 75.
The rules were simple:
Bring your instrument.
Power was provided.
Join in.
Play in harmony.
No grandstanding solos.
It was a group musical thing,
after all
The players included:
Drummers
Guitar players
Bass players
Sax players
Flute players
Other woodwinds
Violin players
Cello players
Keyboard players
Singers
The style was a mix
of free‑form acid jazz,
mixed with deep house,
hip hop, jazz, funk, punk, rap—
and even, occasionally,
country and bluegrass.
The only thing not allowed
was gangster rap
and other music
that was sexist or racist.
By long‑standing tradition,
the lead drummer
or the most senior player
led the band for the day.
They played from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
whenever the weather was nice.
Some of the players
had been playing
for more than 60 years,
since the early 1960s.
Author Note: The CAL Drummers
Sproul Plaza and the CAL Drummers
I imagine the Cosmic Cat hanging out at Sproul Plaza, listening to the Cal drummer jam sessions that have taken place there since the early 1960s, whenever the weather is good and/or when the spirit moves the participants—Cal students, staff, neighborhood guys, Berkeley High School students, and others.
The rules are simple: show up with your instrument and join in. Play as long as you want, but play well together. No long ego solos. It is a group performance, after all.
Usually between 10 and 30 people play from around 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., although many players only stay for about 30 minutes.
The style is free‑form acid jazz with a world beat—Punjabi and African themes mixed with Buddha Bar and deep house. The musicians include drummers, percussionists, keyboards, guitars, flutes, sax, horns, and singers.
Some players have been there since the beginning and are now in their 70s. Most, though, are current students who jam to cope with the stress of attending one of the most challenging universities in the world.
The event is totally unorganized. It doesn’t even have a formal name, but most people call them the CAL Drummers or the CAL Jammers.
Discaimer
My 70 years of lived experience inspire these poems: growing up in Berkeley in the 60s and 70s, college in the 70s, Peace Corps and teaching in Korea in the 80s, and graduate school in Seattle in the 80s. Following graduate school, I served 27 years of service for the US Department of State, which took me to ten countries and DC, and my extended periods of semiretirement in Korea. Along the way, I traveled to all 50 states and 45 foreign countries, picking up a smattering of Korean, Spanish, Thai, and Hindi. These poems are my personal observations, some of which are quite pointed in the neo-beatnik or outlaw poetic traditions, and may be offensive to some readers. I apologize in advance if they cause offense, because that was never my intention.
I used Microsoft Copilot as a research and organizational tool to help compile place names and reference lists. The narrative, interpretations, and final presentation are my own.
The Cosmic Cat is based on a real Cosmic Cat who was my constant companion during a dark period of my life when I was on home leave and realizing my 80- year old mother had to be moved to a nursing home due to dementia.
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Index
The Cosmic Cat from Berkeley
Cosmic Cat Haiku
Cosmic Cat
Cosmic Cat Demands Respect
Cosmic Cat Lives in a Shelter in Berkeley
Cosmic Cat Finds a New Home
The Cosmic Cat Adopted Sandra
Kitty, the Cosmic Cat Says Tuna Fish Is the Best Food
The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley’s New Home (Prose Version)
The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley’s New Home Poetic Version
The Cosmic Cat from Berkeley
I next encountered the divine
Many years later in Berkeley, California
I had gone home to be with my Mother,
While taking leave from my job
in the Foreign Service.
I had two weeks there by myself
My wife came later
near the end of the trip.
Every morning I woke up.
had coffee,
Did yoga.
Spoke to my mother
Who was sliding into dementia
Day by day losing her reason.
Then I would go out
And explore the city
Go to a museum
Go to one neighborhood
And just be there.
Rediscovering the Bay area
After years of being away.
Having dinner with old friends
Seeing movies etc.
Every morning a black cat came to visit.
The cat was friendly and waited for me.
And then would join me in my morning rambles.
Following me to the bus stop.
I started talking to the black cat
He looked at me
with a spark of divinity.
In his dark, soulful sad eyes
I called him the cosmic cat.
He seemed to like that.
He would look at me
And I opened up to him
Told the cat all my dark secrets.
As I walked the streets
Of the old neighborhood.
Every morning and every evening the cat,
Would be there to greet me,
And to carry out our endless conversations.
Then I had to leave
And in our final conversation
I asked the cosmic cat,
“Say, cosmic cat are you just a cat
Or are you a demonic cat
Are you possessed by God
Or by Satan?”
The cat looked at me
And I realized that God
Was indeed residing in the cat.
But that god was residing everywhere
All I had to do was open my mind
And the rest would follow.
So I said goodbye to the cosmic cat
And he purred and came up to me
And I felt the comforting presence of the divine.
As I said goodbye to the cosmic cat
And said goodbye to my mother
As this was the last time
That we would be able to talk.
I told my mother about the cosmic cat
She smiled and said that the cat
was there for me and her
to comfort us both in our hour of need.
and that the cat was indeed
a cosmic cat.
Cosmic Cat Haiku
black cosmic cat
from Berkeley city
is a Buddha cat
The black cosmic cat
Lived in Berkeley City
In tune with the divine
The buddha cat is
Deep in his inner cat verse
Contemplating life
Cosmic Buddha cats
Thinking about life itself
Lost in inner space
The black cosmic cat
Contemplating how to kill
Death to all humans
Cosmic Cat
Cosmic
meditates
deep in cat verse.
Thinking deep dark thoughts.
Cats are just aliens—
who can fathom what they are?
What cats really think of us.
Are we humans
their friends
or their slaves?
The Cosmic Cat,
lost in thought,
looks at me.
Cosmic Cat Demands Respect
The Cosmic Cat
had grown up
on the sometimes
mean streets
of Berkeley,,California .
Where he hng out
on the CAL campus,
sometimes playing
with the frolicking
college students
Digging the vibe
of the CAL Drummers
Dancing to the cool beat
One day, the president
of the campus Friends
of the Cats
adopted the Cosmic Cat,
who came home
to their house
high in the Berkeley Hills.
The Cosmic Cat felt at home,
soon became well known
as the Buddha “Cosmic”
Cat of Grizzly Peak.
He would often
Sneek out
To go hang
With his friends
The CAL Drummers.
But always came home
For dinner.
The Cosmic Cat
demanded respect
from the humans
who came to worship him.
Cosmic Cat Lives in a Shelter in Berkeley
The Cosmic Cat
lived in a cat rescue shelter
in Berkeley,.
He had grown up
on the sometimes mean streets
of Berkeley,
where he hung out
on the college campus,
sometimes playing
with the frolicking college students
Digging the CAL drummers
Daily afternoon jam sessions
Dancing along with the cool beat..
They all liked the Cosmic Cat,
and he loved them
as only a Cosmic Cat
can do.
One day the president
of the campus Friends
of the Cats
adopted the Cosmic Cat,
who came home
to their house
high in the Berkeley Hills.
The Cosmic Cat felt at home,
soon became well known
as the Buddha Cat
of Grizzly Peak—
famous for meditation,
and famous for being
just such a lovely
Cosmic Cat.
The Cosmic Cat Adopted Sandra
Sandra Lee grew up
on a farm in Eagle Point
in southern Oregon.
The Cosmic Cat was a
smoky gray and white
feral cat,
the leader of a band
of several feral cats
found in barns on farms.
The Cosmic Cat
approached as if to bite.
The Cosmic Cat looked at her
with the feral cat’s fear of humans
in her deep, penetrating eyes.
She spoke with the cat,
who communicated with her
telegraphicaly.
Once she was sure
Sandra was a friendly human,
the Cosmic Cat allowed Sandra
to pick her up.
Sandra held closely in her arms
the Cosmic Cat.
The Cosmic Cat adopted Sandra,
becoming her constant companion
for many years.
The Cosmic Cat knew things
because he was a Cosmic Cat,
tuned into the universe,
meditating every day,
teaching Sandra
her cosmic secrets.
Kitty, the Cosmic Cat Says Tuna Fish Is the Best Food
Some say chocolate is the best food.
Frank Zappa, in “The Muffin Man,”
proclaims the muffin is good.
My kitty, the Cosmic Cat,
thinks both are no good.
She thinks tuna fish is the best—
but it is all good.
The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley’s New Home Prose Version
The black cosmos cat lived in an animal rescue shelter in Berkeley, California. He had grown up on the sometimes mean streets of Berkeley, California, fending for himself at a young age until he was picked up by animal rescue staff and put into the animal rescue center where he waited for possible adoption. He had hung out on the college campus, sometimes playing with the frolicking college students, who liked the cosmic cat, and he loved them as only a cosmic cat can do,
One day, the president of the campus friends of the cats, Salmon Rubinstein a philosophy major, saw the cosmic cat meditating and realized that the Cosmic cat was indeed a cosmic cat. He instantly fell in love with the Cosmic cat, and alerted animal rescue who took him to the shelter for a check-up, etc before clearing him for adoption.
He went to the shelter daily to check up on the Cosmic cat and the other cats that the friends of the Cats had rescued during the annual Cat Rescue week when the university, the friends of the Cats, and local Berkeley cat lovers put aside their differences and rescued many of the cats, reluctantly realizing that there were too many feral cats in the city, and something must be done – fending off calls to rid the city of the vermin by the cat haters of the city, even in a liberal enclave such as the Bay Area there were cat haters who saw the feral cats as vermin infesting the city and causing damage to their million dollar house values.
.
Sam adopted the cosmic cat, and his colleagues adopted several other cats. they helped raise money to keep the shelter alive and to prevent the mass putting down of the cats. The Cosmic cat and two other cats came home to their house high in Berkeley Hills.
The cosmic cat felt at home, and soon became well-known, as the Cosmic Cat of Grizzly Peak, famous for mediation. He often would lead meditation sessions with the students and the other cats. In the end he was famous for being just such a lovely, Cosmic Cat.
The Cosmic Cat From Berkeley’s New Home Free Verse Version
The cosmic cat
Lived in a cat rescue shelter
In Berkeley, California.
He had grown up
On the sometimes mean streets
Of Berkeley
Where he hung out
On the college campus
Sometimes playing
With the frolicking college students
Hanging out
with the CAL Drummers
Digging their vibe
dancing to the cosmic beats.
They all loved
the cosmic cat
And he loved them
As only a cosmic cat can do,
One day the president
Of the campus friends
Of the cats
Adopted the cosmic cat
Who came home
To their house
High in the Berkeley Hills/
The cosmic cat felt at home
Soon became well known
As the Cosmic Cat
Of Grizzly Peak
Famous for mediation
And famous for being
Just such a lovely
Cosmic cat.
Cosmic Cat Digs the Cal Jammers’ Buddha Bar Vibe
T
The Cosmic Cat
was a feral cat
who hung out
at Cal’s Lower Sproul Plaza.
He always showed up
for the Cal Drummers.
The Cosmic Cat loved the vibe,
danced along with the Drummers
who all loved him
and called him
the Cosmic Cat,
because he was known
to meditate
like a Buddha Cat
before the music
woke him up.
The CAL Drummes
jammed every afternoon
when the weather was good
and the spirit moved them.
The CAL Drummers ,
as they called themselves,
ranged in age from 12
to 75.
The rules were simple:
Bring your instrument.
Power was provided.
Join in.
Play in harmony.
No grandstanding solos.
It was a group musical thing,
after all
The players included:
Drummers
Guitar players
Bass players
Sax players
Flute players
Other woodwinds
Violin players
Cello players
Keyboard players
Singers
The style was a mix
of free‑form acid jazz,
mixed with deep house,
hip hop, jazz, funk, punk, rap—
and even, occasionally,
country and bluegrass.
The only thing not allowed
was gangster rap
and other music
that was sexist or racist.
By long‑standing tradition,
the lead drummer
or the most senior player
led the band for the day.
They played from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
whenever the weather was nice.
Some of the players
had been playing
for more than 60 years,
since the early 1960s.
Author Note: The CAL Drummers
Sproul Plaza and the CAL Drummers
I imagine the Cosmic Cat hanging out at Sproul Plaza, listening to the Cal drummer jam sessions that have taken place there since the early 1960s, whenever the weather is good and/or when the spirit moves the participants—Cal students, staff, neighborhood guys, Berkeley High School students, and others.
The rules are simple: show up with your instrument and join in. Play as long as you want, but play well together. No long ego solos. It is a group performance, after all.
Usually between 10 and 30 people play from around 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., although many players only stay for about 30 minutes.
The style is free‑form acid jazz with a world beat—Punjabi and African themes mixed with Buddha Bar and deep house. The musicians include drummers, percussionists, keyboards, guitars, flutes, sax, horns, and singers.
Some players have been there since the beginning and are now in their 70s. Most, though, are current students who jam to cope with the stress of attending one of the most challenging universities in the world.
The event is totally unorganized. It doesn’t even have a formal name, but most people call them the CAL Drummers or the CAL Jammers.
Discaimer
My 70 years of lived experience inspire these poems: growing up in Berkeley in the 60s and 70s, college in the 70s, Peace Corps and teaching in Korea in the 80s, and graduate school in Seattle in the 80s. Following graduate school, I served 27 years of service for the US Department of State, which took me to ten countries and DC, and my extended periods of semiretirement in Korea. Along the way, I traveled to all 50 states and 45 foreign countries, picking up a smattering of Korean, Spanish, Thai, and Hindi. These poems are my personal observations, some of which are quite pointed in the neo-beatnik or outlaw poetic traditions, and may be offensive to some readers. I apologize in advance if they cause offense, because that was never my intention.
I used Microsoft Copilot as a research and organizational tool to help compile place names and reference lists. The narrative, interpretations, and final presentation are my own.
The Cosmic Cat is based on a real Cosmic Cat who was my constant companion during a dark period of my life when I was on home leave and realizing my 80- year old mother had to be moved to a nursing home due to dementia.
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Medium
Watt Pad
Spotify
The End
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