homeland burning

how to make chapathi

i think we all know

that chapathi goes hand in hand with telling stories

yes, put the flour, suzanne, ammachy says. put the flour, just on the board. good girl!

suzanne talks about what she learned in dance class

ammachy tells her that her feet belong to a lineage of dancers made of stars that live in houses on the surface of the moon

and then you, rachel, put the dough on the flour. don't bump each other, share!

i tell ammachy some story about a deer that went looking for friends, and found an empty field instead, in which he built a home made of sticks

ammachy tells me it is hard to find friends, especially after being separated from one's homeland for 46 years.

suzanne, you can roll the dough now.

suzanne tells ammachy we are hunting for fairies.

ammachy tells us to check behind the rosebushes on the top tier of her garden.

is the rolling pin sticking? ammachy laughs. okay, put some flour on the rolling pin and then push down. ammachy will show you, here. then give rachel a turn.

i tell ammachy that one day i want to write about my adventures.

she tells me, you will.

one done already! smart girls. put it on the sheet. there.

we ask ammachy what she misses about home.

is the palm trees

maybe the sun

the way the air smells like a mix of coconut milk and gasoline

the stories, she says, but that's okay. your stories keep me alive out here, when i feel alone.

i think we all know

that chapathi goes hand in hand with telling stories

too bad my tongue no longer remembers

what stories like those taste like