THE MONASTERY
Unable to finish
my latest poem
I return to the
buddhist monastery
The meditation garden
in full bloom,
lilac and mint
My teacher says
to observe the natural order
draw her from memory,
shadows and lines
symmetry, proportion
Then without touching
my bald head
or wrinkled face,
explore the broken parts
draw a self portrait
through her eyes
Compare, be ready
to choose
Return and finish
the poem
or stay, observe
autumn colors
mist after rain
death in winter
Paul Rabinowitz
PAUL RABINOWITZ is an author, photographer and founder of ARTS By The People, a nonprofit arts organization based in New Jersey. Paul’s photography, short fiction and poetry have appeared in many magazines and journals including Nailed, Long Exposure Magazine, Linden Avenue Literary Journal, Pif Magazine, The Metaworker, Burningword and others. Paul is the author of Limited Light, a book of prose and portrait photography, and a novella, The Clay Urn, (Main Street Rag, 2020). Paul is currently at work on a novel, Confluence, and Grand Street, Revisited, a book of prose poems. His short works have been the inspiration for numerous poetry and dance films. Paul has produced many mixed media performances and poetry animation films that have appeared on stages and in theaters in New York City, New Jersey, Tel Aviv, and Paris. Paul is a written word performer and the founder of “The Platform,” a monthly literary series in New Jersey, and Platform Review, a journal of voices and visual art from around the world. www.paulrabinowitz.com