Poetry

Today I Changed the Sheets (9/27/21)

Today I changed the sheets
As tears streamed down my face
Wishing you were here
To take up the empty space

The scent of you has faded
Never to come back
Now Linc sleeps beside me
His weight against my back

Today I made the calls
The ones that have filled me with dread
Announcing to sympathetic strangers
Hey my husband’s dead

I fill out claim forms for insurance
Mail in the Certificate of Death
A piece of paper stating
When you took your last breath

One form asked for deceased’s address
A question that made me start
Can I write in Heaven? Nope
Better stick with Gladiola Court

Today I went in our room
I put all your shirts in a bin
So they can become a quilt
I can wrap myself up tight in

Boxes of memories
Went back up on the shelves
Tennis trophies and yearbooks
From your former self

Tonight I lay in our bed
Thinking you would be proud of me
For being strong and getting shit done
Even when it’s not easy

So today I changed the sheets
Some might think that’s progress
I don’t know about that
I don’t miss you any less