Two Nandis
Two nandis, made of brass and painted a hideous grey,
Sit on two sides of the road, on masonry pedestals,
They are too small to be guardians of the gate
Or for their ritual duties as mounts of Shiva.
The owner’s thrift has undone the sculptor.
The roads lead, a mile hence, to a public school.
Sitting forlornly on their pedestals, the nandis
Watch over the basin of Kaliasote and the distant
Hills, Vandals have chipped off their ears,
And lovers have inscribed graffiti
Over the pedestals of two dwarf guardians.
