I am in Mughal India.
On the small bus to Fathepur Sikri.
We are assigned a guide. The saint,
Salim Christi, is the reason the city was built,
he says, pointing to the white marble shrine
in the center of the vast courtyard. You can ask
one thing of the saint, he said, if you like.
Looking at me: Do you have a son?
You could pray that he get a good station in life.
I was the only one to ask for a boon in the ritual way.
Bought a piece of cloth and the thread: surrendered
the cloth to the guardian and tied the blue thread
to the latticed window behind the tomb.
You will come back
to untie it, the guide said,
when your prayer
is answered. Or did he say:
You must come back to India to untie it
when your prayer is answered?

I am in Mughal India.
On the small bus to Fathepur Sikri.
We are assigned a guide. The saint,
Salim Christi, is the reason the city was built,
he says, pointing to the white marble shrine
in the center of the vast courtyard. You can ask
one thing of the saint, he said, if you like.
Looking at me: Do you have a son?
You could pray that he get a good station in life.
I was the only one to ask for a boon in the ritual way.
Bought a piece of cloth and the thread: surrendered
the cloth to the guardian and tied the blue thread
to the latticed window behind the tomb.
You will come back
to untie it, the guide said,
when your prayer
is answered. Or did he say:
You must come back to India to untie it
when your prayer is answered?