Matthew Caretti

A Koan of Rain

prajnaparamita
the september moon
waxing syllables

       . . . to the darkening sky . . .

first rains
delusion diluted
in zazen

       . . . a cascade of empty words . . .

when moonlight
reaches my heart
sunyata

       . . . a glimpse of distant shores . . .

seafoam constellations
unable to fathom
the fathoms

       . . . the sure raft taking on form . . .

morning puddle
carving my name
in water

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About the Author

Matthew Caretti began publishing his poems in 2009. He has published two books of haibun, Harvesting Stones (2017, winner of the Snapshot Press eChapbook Award) and Africa, Buddha (2022, Red Moon Press), and a book of haiku, Ukelele Drift (2023, Red Moon Press). He lives and teaches high school English in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

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