Grandma's home – that's you!
It is from that very home
my grandma used to fry vadai.
I once asked my mother
why grandma was frying vadai
from over there.
My mother replied:
“She used to fry them here before.
But the crows became too much of a nuisance,
so she started frying from there.
Now, there are no crows to bother her there, right dear?”
I understood the logic in what my mother said.
It made sense, even rationally.
“A clever grandma,” I said.
“Like you,” replied my mother.
That made me happy.
I cuddled her, calling her my dear mother.
And she was overjoyed.
At times like that, I used to think
about the loneliness of grandma over there.
I would imagine myself going there to keep her company,
listening to her stories,
and falling asleep beside her.
That’s how I used to think back then.
Even now, grandma is over there
frying vadai alone.
Alone in her solitude.
And I, still here,
continue to think of her
from time to time.
Someday, I will surely go
to that house where grandma lives alone.
I will be
a support to her—
yes, even now,
I keep thinking
just that.
Illustration: AI
* Vadai – a South Indian or Sri Lankan food that looks like a donut but is spicy.
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