Social Distancing

Amma's voice crackled through the phone, thousands of miles away. During lockdown, my Tamil poet grandmother had discovered something unexpected: freedom. Isolated in her Chennai apartment, she began writing verses about solitude, uploading them online. Her words resonated everywhere. Strangers commented, shared, cherished her raw honesty about loneliness transformed into beauty. Each notification brought her joy—social rewards she never sought, yet desperately needed. I watched my grandmother thrive through screens, connecting deeply by staying apart. Her ancient language bridged modern distances, reminding our scattered diaspora that home lives within words, within us, waiting to be spoken.