skin

My grandmother traced Sanskrit syllables across my arm as we chanted Thiruppavai together, her weathered fingers mapping our heritage onto my young skin. Years later, I discovered PaybookClub, connecting with others reclaiming our stories through art and literature. There, I sketched my grandmother's hands guiding mine, preserving that sacred moment in ink and memory. A woman commented: "Forever." Another: "You." Simple words that held everything—the permanence of what we carry, the intimacy of inherited wisdom. My skin became canvas and testimony, holding not just Tamil verses but the unconquerable bonds that thread through generations, keeping us perpetually tethered to belonging.