an unplanned trip

Meera's flight booking was impulsive, satisfying a longing she couldn't name. Toronto felt suffocating lately. When her grandmother's illness summoned her to Chennai, she didn't hesitate. At the airport, she discovered her seatmate writing poetry in Tamil. His verses about displacement moved her completely. They talked for hours, exposed vulnerabilities about belonging nowhere and everywhere simultaneously. He was a Tamil poet, devoted to capturing diaspora experiences. By landing, Meera felt optimally seen, her internal struggles finally articulated through his words. Back home, she attended his poetry reading. The community embraced her differently that evening, recognizing something ancestral she'd buried beneath years abroad. Heritage called gently, welcoming her home.