Hima's Pages

We sat out on the porch,

Overlooking the mighty Nelliyampathi,

Braiding each other’s hair,

As the evening sun was dimming,

And the flickering lampposts grazed their yellow lights

on the green paddy fields

on either side of the pathway in front of us.

The camphor scent from Ammama’s* pooja room

Brimmed in the air around us.

Humming along to her hymn,

We felt Radha’s* angst and yearning.

The moonlight consoled our pangs,

As we flocked back in

With our neatly braided pigtails.

*Ammama is the Malayalam word for grandmother

**Radha is considered as the chief consort of God Krishna in Hinduism. Radha awaiting Krishna is a trope in many hindu hymns and devotional songs.