Friday, September 16, 2011

a world of rain

kawase hasui a small boat in the spring rain


-

there's a world
where it rains all the time ...

all day
and all night

summer
winter
autumn and spring

no one sighs
when they wake up
and see that it's raining outside
because that is what happens
in the world of rain -

it rains
all the time

some of the rain
is soft when it falls
(like small bubbles)
and some of it is so fine
that it's like
walking through gossamer

some
of the rain
(especially in cities)
falls fast and straight
in thick quicksilver threads
that gather to form alleyways
through which one can walk
and remain dry

the alleyways form
through the rain's sensitivity
to the passage
of people

walking through them is much like walking
through a shimmering tunnel
as the rain actually bends overhead
and appears to cascade
to either side of you as you walk
from one doorway
to another

there is no sun
as the rain itself provides
a soft grey light
that actually grows
with the intensity
of the rainfall

in this world of rain
no one cries
because there is no sadness

people speak in warm whispers
that hover above the hushed sigh of the rain
which as you might have imagined
has a degree of sentience
that allows it to become part
of the conversations

the words that pass
between people and the rain
are gilded in pale shimmering hues
that gather into deliquescent rainbow pools
each of which hum, purr or murmur

the rain falls
each and every day -
its constancy
measured
in the beauty and the joy
of the world it falls upon

kawase hasui benten island at tomonotsu

4 comments:

Richard Jesse Watson said...

Steven, lovely woodcut. And I love the rainy words. I like the suggestion of "walking through gossamer" in a so fine rain. Perfect description. And I will be thinking about the "deliquescent rainbow" for a long time. Thank you.

Jinksy said...

Sentient rain could be useful in England...
Loved this water-world post.♥

Ruth said...

I like this tender imagining. It puts me in a mind of thankfulness. Lovely to think of rain being sentient.

steven said...

ruth - i know that many people suffer when it rains. i treasure the rain. it's not my favourite experience when on a bike but it is what it is and there are ways to welcome it into that experience also. i imagine variants of this world every so often and the idea of rain being kind enough to shape itself around people out walking is a double-edged sword that accomodates the needs of those who don't like the sensations of rain and those who love the sound, the smell, and the colour. steven