A Phone Call to Home

A routine call home every weekend;
Mama answers,
A voice full of
Anticipation, eagerness -
"How have you been?",
She asks.

Followed by asides of
purposeless news,
Of distant relatives,
Of old neighbours,
Of family gossips,
Of everyday banters.

As she speaks of these,
In her voice I hear,
A faint but distinct chant,
A yearning never spoken of,
Layered beneath that insignificant chatter-
"I miss you, I miss you".