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what is god
and what is stone
the dividing line
if it exists
is very thin
at jeruri
and every other stone
is god or his cousin
there is no crop
other than god
and god is harvested here
around the year
and round the clock
out of the bad earth
and hard rock
that giant hunk of rock
the size of a bedroom
is khandoba’s wife turned to stone
the crack that runs across
is the scar from his broadsword
he struck her down with
once in a fit of rage
scratch a rock
and a legend springs
by Arun Kolatkar
from Jejuri
New York Review, 1974
*Jejuri: The name of a town in Maharashtra, India,
famous as the sacred center of worship
for the Hindu deity, Khandoba.
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