Melissa Lemay

it’s been three weeks
i still haven’t changed the sheets on my bed,
i’ve barely changed my clothes

i wonder what was real,
if i’m real,
sitting in this apartment with this fake wood flooring

and the linoleum tile with the diamonds on it
i listen to the sound of water dripping
everything was wet

i know my bedroom is down the hall
i’ve begun making a habit of only sleeping in it
i work in the living room

bedrooms are for sleeping
there isn’t any place inside you haven’t been
helping me fold my laundry

putting together bunk beds
outside, playing football with the kids
you were at the birthday party filming everything

i can’t smell you anywhere, anymore
i wonder if your dreams are sweet
i love you more

Melissa Lemay lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with her children and cats. She writes about God, addiction, trauma, healing, motherhood, and many other things. She enjoys spending time with family, drinking good coffee, and being outdoors. She loves animals. Her poem “Ephemeral” was chosen as Poetic Publication of the Year for 2023 at Spillwords Press; she was Author of the Month for July 2024 and Author of the Year for 2024. Find her at melissalemay.wordpress.com, collaborature.blogspot.com, and at dVerse Poets Pub.

This poem appeared in What We Hold On To: Poems of Coping, Connection, and Carrying On — Winter 2026, published by The Chaos Section Poetry Project. We’ll be featuring each poem from the collection individually in the weeks ahead. You can read the full collection or download a free PDF of the chapbook here.