When Raajkumar the sailor's son
Was fleet of foot and quick of tongue,
We stuffed our socks in our pockets and flung
Our boots under the tree.
And we raced across the playfield green
Boys rooting for him,
Girls clapping for me.

And after his win,
He called Navin,
Little Chako and Uma the thin,
And he said, you know,
His curls turn black snakes at night…
And everyone nodded and everyone said he was right.

Fabula promised me her new pencil,
If I sat by her side, and if I allowed her
To touch my snakes before they died.

And each time the sea winds
Came in at pipe-down,
I summoned the snakes on my crown,
And walked my secret
Little ship