Paati's pickles

Stone jars on sale at the crafts bazaar
remind me of Paati’s pickles – ah that
manga inji – earthy, with green pepper
spicy, or salty neer elimichanga with
the magic of manjal and menthyam
packed with secret solutions to every
unfavourable stomach situation!
And once, when they were empty
washed and set out to dry
two jars had been stolen because
all the grandchildren and Paati
had been in the vaasapakkam
looking up at the maamaram
teeming with monkeys playing
draping Paati’s nine yards sari
on the branches till the pori kaaran
volunteered to retrieve the sari and
how well he did it, even shaking hands
with the monkeys as he got the sari back
but the stone jars were gone from the
kollai where they had been set to dry.
Stone jars on sale at the crafts bazaar
but memories of Paati and her pickles
they are priceless.