step out into the night to bathe
full clouds, dark sky
slip in to my chin
hot water and the Big Dipper
celestial bodies shine behind cumulus
present but unseen

i’ll let the ladle dip into the Inner Pool
stir and spoon
lift and pour
what springs forth within?

a cloud opens above
millions of droplets
falling flat
bouncing on broad-leafed bananas

my peaked crown is christened
soft promises drizzling every pore
one hundred million possibilities
assured

my human heart beats in raindrop time
meeting, greeting
ecstatic
essence
pouring down

the steam and precipitation
moving clouds
hinting starlight
dripping plant life
my sprinkled face
wet silence
life and rain
the water

all says yes