Three poems by Corey Mesler

The Submission Process

I would like to submit the enclosed

body part. It is the latest thing

I have excised in my stated goal of

reaching total spirit. I hope

you can find a place for it in your

esteemed publication. If not

I have enclosed an envelope addressed

to another quarterly. Please

forward it to them with this note. I

am humbly yours, if not someone

else’s, for now, Jackpot Adamson.

The Marriage of ----

You give me tarradiddles.

I pick a poser in return.

A canarous voice can wake

the simplest dog. I ask

you for your hand and you

give me one curled. I hit

back. This goes on for

years until we are shiny like

a new bike. I take the bike

out for a spin. You wait

for me at home with a

bouquet of sharpened forks.

B. B. King’s Bus

We all wanted to get on B. B. King’s bus.

We heard that once on, in essence,

you were never off.

We all wanted that special mojo, though

some of us feared the term.

When it first pulled out of Memphis,

on the long road through

the Delta to Oz and further,

we glanced at each other. Was it obvious

who was a first-timer?

It didn’t matter. All we cared about was

that we were on B. B. King’s bus.

We were rolling down the serpentine

American highway with

sun on our windshield and God

in the complex geometry of our fretboard.

The rest is just a good man feeling bad.

Jody by The Dodos

COREY MESLER has published in numerous journals and anthologies. He has published two novels, Talk: A Novel in Dialogue (2002) and We Are Billion-Year-Old Carbon (2006). His first full length poetry collection, Some Identity Problems, has just been released. He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize numerous times, and one of his poems was chosen for Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac. He has two children, Toby, age 19, and Chloe, age 12. With his wife, he runs Burke’s Book Store, one of the country’s oldest (1875) and best independent bookstores. He also claims to have written “These Boots are Made for Walking.” For more information please visit his website.

Photo by Adam Lawrence - please visit for additional photos and notes.

San Fransico's The Dodos blend inventive percussion with acoustic guitar to create a fantastic new sound. On March 18th the released their second full-length album Vister, and now embark on a tour. "Jody" begins quiet, but soon gives way to rhythmic adventure. Lyrically, it follows that story of a couple, and the struggle to keep the ones you love. For more information on the Dodos please visit their website and check out the following interview.