Kyoto Downpour

A few upright rocks amidst plain gray pebbles,
carefully selected to form a border surrounding
the garden tea house, now gain surface details,
previously unseen, when pelted by raindrops

and washed by silvery drippings from the eaves,
while on a nearby side street, some children
under umbrellas and wearing short rubber boots
begin stamping and splashing through puddles,
intently collecting random leaves, twigs and
abandoned bits of litter which the youngsters
drop into a flooding gutter, then race beside
these pieces of rubbish that careen against

the concrete curb and gyrate away — until
the kids tire of this game and just stand,
spinning their glistening umbrellas and
gazing after the last traces of buoyant
trash passing rapidly out of sight —
but across town a renowned museum keeps,

in a climate-controlled space behind glass,
priceless examples of Japanese screens aglow
with gold leaf and miniature scenes depicting
traditional activities and historic events,
all sorts of separate subjects and settings,
each picture enclosed by dream-like clouds,
painted in this classical manner by artists
who keep changing their point of view!