The God of Fire

It took him twenty years
to write his novel.
Twenty refusals later
he gave the manuscript
to the fire which
greedily absorbed it.

A phone call from nowhere,
"send us another novel"
It took twenty more years
to write a new book
and the god Agni
burnt his hands.

As a thank you,
Success at last, he cried
to a man with a yellow helmet
carrying an axe.