Tie
I can no longer wear
the rattlesnake
you gave me.
For years, because it
was a gift, I
felt obliged to put it on
over my shirt
and vest. I knew there
was always a
possibility that it would
be the last morning
I put it on, or anything
else for that
matter. Yet, I would think
of you, how you
gave it to me with such glee,
such generous, overflowing
feeling, and, because
it was so near the end of us,
I suppose it reminded
me of you. It kept you
a little alive for me. Today
I am wearing a paisley tie
my daughter gave me,
its colors so bright they seem
to prolong the sunshine.
My wife says it looks very
handsome, like some-
thing a man might wear who is
serious about living, about love.
~~
Corey Mesler has published in numerous journals and anthologies. He has published four novels, most recently Following Richard Brautigan (2010), a full length poetry collection, Some Identity Problems (2008), and a book of short stories, Listen: 29 Short Conversations (2009). He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize numerous times, and was represented in Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac. He runs Burke’s Book Store, one of the country’s oldest (1875) independent bookstores. He can be found at www.coreymesler.com.