lights

My grandmother's voice crackled through the phone, reciting Swami Paramarthananda's teachings while I sat in my cramped apartment thousands of miles away. She spoke of inner light transcending darkness. I'd joined PaybookClub that week, finally connecting with other Tamil diaspora members online, sharing recipes and stories of home. The alienation I'd felt melted away. Here were people who understood my splintered identity, this existence between worlds. We laughed together, cooked together virtually, debated philosophy and life. That night, I lit the deepam my grandmother sent years ago. Its flame flickered against my window, joining countless others across continents, each light a bridge between past and present.