When my daughter was ten or so
Someone wanted to know
Who her mom was
I have many moms, she said
In the community I belong
Each auntie has been a mom to me
Taking care of me, feeding me
Putting me on her lap when I cried

In a place
Far away from the motherland
Bondage develops between people
Because of the language they speak
Or a tradition they honor
Kinship develops and grows
Creating a giant joint family
A friend in need
Becomes a friend in deed
During an illness, happiness, disaster or death

In a noisy dinner time after a cultural function
Like Diwali or pujas
Moms run after small kids to feed them
Sometimes
One mom’s baby becomes the baby of all
They put him or her to sleep on the lap
Making sibling out of other’s babies
In a microcosm in Americas.