!ns¡ght
By Arun Kolatkar
these five hills
are the five demons
that khandoba killed
says the priest’s son
a young boy
who comes along as your guide
as the schools have vacations
do you really believe that story
you ask him
he doesn’t reply
but merely looks uncomfortable
shrugs and looks away
and happens to notice
a quick wink of a movement
in a scanty patch of scruffy dry grass
burnt brown in the sun
and says
look
there’s a butterfly
there