Poetry by Corey Mesler

 

 

A Morning of Ferity

I shave with a squirrel,
bathe in the waters
of Lethe, comb my colubrine
locks with a fishbone.
These mornings, when the
cave is dark and cool,
are hard on my rusty back.
On the way to the office
I try to smile at the other
commuters. They sharpen
their sticks. It’s just as
well; I was thinking of moving
on anyway, any day.

 

 

The Rewards of Living On

The porcupine in my underwear drawer
is making funny noises.
The jets overhead all carry strontium-90.
In my neighborhood we have
a watch but it keeps poor time. I only
know that a week or two
has passed. I see it in the faces of the
nosferatu. My child comes
to me with something in his pudgy, little
hand. It's a dove's ustulate heart.

 

 

About the Author

Corey Mesler is the owner of Burke’s Book Store, in Memphis, Tennessee, one of the country’s oldest (127 years) and best independent bookstores. He has published poetry and fiction in numerous journals including Pindeldyboz, Green Egg, Black Dirt, Thema,
Mars Hill Review, Poet Lore and others. He is also a book reviewer for the Memphis Commercial Appeal, The Memphis Flyer, Brightleaf and BookPage. He’s been a pirate, a pauper, a puppet, a poet, a pawn and a king. A short story of his has been chosen for the 2002 edition of New Stories from the South: The Year’s Best, edited by Shannon Ravenel, published by Algonquin Books. He also claims to have written, “All Along the Watchtower.” His first novel, Talk, will be published in July 2002 by Livingston Press. He is, most importantly, Cheryl's husband, and Toby and Chloe's dad. You may find more about him and his private business at burkesbooks.com.