Three Poems

Three Poems
By Corey Mesler

An Incident Near the College

As J. R. R Tolkien

walked the hills surrounding

his home near Oxford

a small stranger silently trailed

him. When he turned

he was startled. The little fellow

took out a pipe and

motioned toward a tuft of grass.

“J.R., sit,” he said, smiling

puckishly, “I’ve got a long story

to tell you.”

 

Ariose Morning

The rain

cannot

dampen

today as

words connect

in me like

DNA

and the songs

my children

sang

leaving the house

echo

inside me

like ancient

liturgies.

 

For My Daughter Who is Already Radiant

What can I hope for you,

to not be beautiful?

You whose legs are already

shapely at five, you

who have your mother’s easy

sensuousness. The world

is a place of barbed wire and

injustice for those fair,

for those who carry such

finery. Yet, Chloe, I look at

you and see the angels’

modeling clay; I see the

loveliness of September.

I can only hope love, a fickle

suitor, finds you early,

finds you wholeheartedly.

I, who must watch from a

distance, the oblivion ha ha,

onward rush of nature,

who must be witness and father,

tough enough, tough enough.

Corey Mesler has published in numerous journals and anthologies. His novel, Talk: A Novel in Dialogue, was released in 2002. He also has a number of poetry chapbooks available. His second novel, We Are Billion-Year-Old Carbon, is just out. He has been nominated for a Pushcart numerous times. He has 5 more chapbooks set to appear in 2006. With his wife, he runs Burke’s Book Store in Memphis TN. He can be found at www.burkesbooks.com.