Summary

The next poem is titled “Not Allowed.” Prema Auntie's visa application is denied, meaning she is not allowed to travel to America. “Dr. Andrews writes a letter / that explains Amma is gravely ill” (129). Reha hones in on the words “gravely ill.” Though she is anxious for Prema Auntie's visit, she wishes it was for some other reason.

In “The New Routine,” Daddy leaves work early each day to pick Reha up from school. Rupa Auntie is willing, but she has obligations with her own three children. Daddy is showing the strain and spends a lot of time talking to coworkers. They visit Amma each evening. She is not eating “because it hurts,/and we don't eat because she hurts” (130). They fall into this as their daily routine. In “Mustard Seeds, Part 2,” Reha says they need to start feeding themselves instead of depending on...