the wall

Amma pointed at the ancient brick exposed beneath red soil. "Our ancestors built this," she whispered, tracing Tamil script with weathered fingers during the Keeladi excavation visit. My Silicon Valley tech job felt distant watching her connect with roots I'd nearly forgotten. PaybookClub members back home had organized this cultural journey, determined scattered diaspora children wouldn't lose themselves. That wall—built millennia ago—suddenly bridged the gap between her world and mine. Standing there, I understood why she'd carried these stories across oceans, why she fought to keep them alive. Some walls protect. Others unite.