<A cat who lives for a million times> Poet/Painting : Sano Yoko
There is a cat who revived for a million times.
He had died for a million times and revived each time.
He is a brilliant cat.
A million people had loved him and cried when he died.
He had never cried.
One time, he was a king’s. He didn’t like him so much.
The king was good at orchestrating a war and always had a fight. He took the cat in a gorgeous cage.
One day, the cat died with a flying arrow.
The king cried in the middle of war with holding the cat.
He abandoned the war and went back to the castle. He buried the cat in the back yard.
One time, he was a sailor’s. He didn’t like the sea so much.
The sailor took the cat to the sea and harbors all over the world.
One day, the cat fell from a boat.
He couldn’t swim. When the sailor picked him up with a net, he had already drowned wet.
The sailor held the cat like a wet dust close and mourned. He buried the cat under the tree in the park of a faraway harbor town.
One time, he was a magician’s. He didn’t like a magic so much.
The magician put the cat into a box and split it every day as one of the programs. He picked him up from the cage and got a big hand.
One day, the magician wrongly split the cat.
The magician mourned with hanging the split cat in his arm.
Nobody applauded.
The magician buried the cat behind a circus log.
One time, he was a robber’s. He didn’t like him so much.
The robber walked around the town with him as if they had been cats.
The robber only invaded into the house with dogs. While the dogs roared to the cat, the robber break the safe.
One day, the cat was bit to death by a dog.
The robber held him with the diamond he stole, and walked in the night town with crying out loudly. Then he got home and buried him in the small yard.
One time, the cat was a lonely elderly woman’s. He didn’t like her so much.
She always saw outside through the window with holding him.
The cat always slept on the knee of her.
One day, the cat died of the old age. The decrepit old woman held the decrepit cat and sobbed all the day.
The woman buried him under the tree in the yard.
One time, he was a young girl’s. He didn’t like her so much.
The girl gave him a piggyback or slept with hugging him tightly. When she wept, she wiped her tears with his back.
One day, the cat died from the baby carrier coiling his neck on her back.
The girl hugged the cat whose head dangling and cried all the day. Then she buried him under the tree in the yard.
The death doesn't bring fear to him.
One time, he was nobody’s.
He was just a stray cat.
He finally come to be free for the first time. He loved himself from the heart.
Having been a brilliant tabby cat, he became a brilliant stray cat.
Any of female cats wanted to be his wife.
One cat gave him big fish. One cat gave him a great mouse. One cat gave back Matatabi to him. One cat licked the great stripped pattern on his back.
He said,
“I had died for a million times. This is a funny thing after such a long time!”
He liked himself more than anybody.. anything.
There was the only white beautiful cat who didn’t show interest to him.
He said,
“I had died for a million times!”
The white cat only said,
“I see.”
The cat became angry a little because he felt humilitated because he loved himself most.
Next day, and also the day after next day, he saw the white cat and said,
“You have never finished a life so far.”
The white cat only said,
“I see.”
One day, the cat turned a somersault for three times in front of the white cat and said,
“I had been the magician’s”
The white cat only said,
“I see.”
The cat stopped saying when he was saying,
“ I had died for a million…”
And he asked,
“Do you mind me staying beside you?”
The white cat said,
“Yes.”
He stayed beside her forever.
The white cat gave birth to many cute kittens.
The cat never said again,
“I had died for a million times.”
He liked her and many babies even more than himself.
After a long time, the babies grew up and went somewhere.
He said satisfactorily,
“They became the brilliant cats.”
The white cat said,
“Yes.”
And she kindly purred.
The white cat aged a little. She purred more kindly and softly.
He thought that he wanted to live a life with her forever.
One day, the white cat quietly came not to move beside him.
He cried for the first time. The night came, the morning came, the night came, then the morning came. He cried for a million times.
He quietly came not to move beside the white cat.
He never woke up.
