up side down la la la la

Grandmother traced ancient Tamil Brahmi letters on my palm, her weathered fingers trembling with purpose. "Avvaiyar wrote wisdom for the poor," she whispered, teaching me verses about contentment and truth. My friends scrolled endlessly, trading likes for validation, their worth measured in digital coins. But I watched Grandmother, how she found richness in words spanning centuries, in knowledge freely given. She laughed at my confusion between cash and culture. "Real wealth, child, lives here," she touched my chest. "In stories passed down, in understanding who we are." That night, everything flipped beautifully upside down. I finally understood.