Melissa Lemay

i hold the plunger
between my teeth
and

pull
it
back.

drawing
the liquid into the
barrel. it is the color
of a camel.

i find the pool-blue
marker in the
crook of my elbow.

piercing my skin, a
dark-dance oblivion
follows after red.

i wake up, unsure
of when; where
begins to come into
focus.

i am late to work
again.

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.  You can read the full collection or download a free PDF of the chapbook here.