Sprinkling the lights, from 

   small shops on either side

Illuminated a silent shower in a late-summer night

Sweet aromas from Au Bon Pain

Drifted into the wet night-air

Soft-orange neon signs 

Glowed through chiffons of rain

We were walking down the wet cobble-stoned lane

   under an oilpaper umbrella

Yellow hued and bamboo bones

Hand-sketched orchids in white and blue

Indigo leaves so slender and tender

Your hand held the umbrella

My hand rested on your arm

We strolled down the wet cobble-stoned lane

You were telling me a story

Your faraway journey

Your voice resonant in the cool night's air

Your eyes shining like the stars

I was listening, smiling

Looking down the wet cobble-stoned lane

I let go of your arm,

   skipping into the wet night air

You stepped forward to catch

Hand in hand, we skipped and stepped 

Into puddles, a lily pad, one after another

Rainwater splashed, a blooming flower, one after another

Down the wet cobble-stoned lane