root rot from appreciates you. by joseph biss

a nose caked in
smoke billowing
from the north
and a light smell
of sulphur
the reek of a paper plant
thought i had
escaped
change in the wind
second time smoked out
wings tipped snakes
similar to atlas
struggles yet different
in a subtle way
deathbed beneath
the tamarack

striking up a sad
conversation
you see i say i saw
a spotted salamander
it drowned in our pond
it’s yellow spots spoiled
the black went a milky grey
and still i scooped him out
not nearly the worst i’ve seen
a mere waterlogged delay

a samara sticks to me
to my pink striped shirt
and to the metal bottom
of my dead dad’s coffee mug
with a little bit of grass
on the metallic sliding lid
not dissimilar from
the coffin in which i hid
his favorite quart of beer
and the dagger from my hip

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