Japanese tourists

(from book dated 4/25/98)

on the corner
of charles street
and beacon,
a group
of Japanese
tourists take
turns rotating
a small hand
crank in the
side of a brick
building. They
do not know
that they are
causing a
chandelier,
with arms
supporting bowls
of water,
to rotate
slowly through
point zero seven
degrees for every
seven turns
of the hand crank.

in each bowl
of water,
a single
water mellon
seed floats
and is
held in
place by
an anchor
made from
a paper clip
and a
piece of
thread.