VOWS, Abun Kolatkar, India

Vows

Slaughter a goat before the clock
smash a coconut on the railway track
smear the indicator with the blood of a cock
bath the station master in  milk
and promise you will give
a solid gold toy train to the booking clerk
if only someone would tell you
when the next train is due.

Abun Kolatkar
 (India 1932 – 25 September 2004)
From: “Twelve Modern Indian Poets”
Oxford University Press