Symptoms
Fighting symptoms, while draped in burgundy,
on a bed with nothing to do but think
no, nothing to do but to think out loud,
on what it’s like to end up a corpse
yeah, to end up as a lonely corpse,
one that pushes up little daisies
a cadaver pushing up precious lilies,
which bloom vibrant, nourished, from my dead sweat
in my dead sweat so vibrant they blossom,
as if they just left their mother’s womb
we exited mother’s womb with a holler,
but quiet from the dirt those flowers arose
and once we wilt, into the dirt we go,
remains draped in burgundy, fighting symptoms.
Dog
I got lost in the eyes of a dead dog,
who curiously resembled my own mutt
indistinguishable, the two were,
though there’s no way they were one and the same
but perhaps they once shared a body?
this carcass laid with the posture of Max
belly down, back legs splayed just like Max,
but I don’t believe for a second it’s him
and won’t believe for a lifetime it was him,
ravaged with sickness on the exam table
last, labored breaths on that exam table,
before the pained look of suffering ended
our gaze met one final time; without suffering,
and I got lost in the eyes of a dead dog.
Possessions
I fit all my possessions into a box,
and hauled them off to brave new walls
they came out of the blue, these brave new walls,
at the behest of my surrogate mother
the request of my new surrogate mother,
otherwise known to the tongue as girlfriend
from the tip of my tongue she rolls off, sunlight,
as without her my world would cease to spin
my brave new world would cease all movement,
like a jazz players’ union had gone on strike
the eyes of those picketing saxophonists,
unmasking a new remorseful shade of blue
blue tears contained in cardboard and masking tape,
I fit all my possessions into a box.
Bio: Thomas Klodowsky is a writer, and instructor at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. When not writing, he's usually behind the wheel of his dream car, a 2016 Kia Soul.
Fevers of the Mind 
“yeah, to end up as a lonely corpse,
one that pushes up little daisies” This line is genius. I love it. Such a multi-layered nature to what you wrote. I like how it encourages laughter which is an act of companionship in and of itself, and a “medication” sorry I am drug addict and think automatically of drugs or a substance every time I am talking about curing something.
I don’t know if the whole piece is supposed to read as a collection about transcendence of pain. I read it that way, being a progression from symptoms to the animal nature to getting rid of possessions, but I read it that way, excellent work here by paring the whole thing this way.
To the piece on the dog, this speaks to your knowledge of the dialectic in which you write, or innate wisdom, either way genius of the work because the pairing reads as if you are trying to help the reader get to a higher level of thought through getting rid of personal demons and in so doing transcending self and achieving enlightenment which you share with a reader, right now me. Thank you, more than you know.
I like your line that likens the mother to the new girlfriend, excellent Shakespeare reference, which sets your piece into the dialectic again, because it is genius.
The idea of transcendence through music is a common theme in this line of conversation, as well. Loved this.
You are an excellent writer, do not lose hope. I would miss your voice, it is very unique, and I needed to read this which is why I spent time analyzing it.
Thank you so much. You brought me joy.
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Oh, and shared this on twitter for you, hope you don’t mind. Your work is excellent, so selfishly I wanted to bookmark it so I can read it if I am feeling down. I SAAD too. Thank you.
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I like these poems very much. They are elegant,eloquent, stylish, and honest.
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