FIRST LITERARY REVIEW-EAST
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025
Well, this is it, folks. The grand finale of our 15-year poetic odyssey known as First Literary Review-East and, boy, do we have some awesome poetry to usher in the hectic holiday season. We want to thank all of our faithful contributors, readers, and fellow travelers who have told us how much they've enjoyed our short-poem format and the eclectic mix of styles and themes we've selected for each issue. AND THIS IS NOT GOODBYE. We will keep the website up and running so that the archives of past issues can be accessed—and we invite you to periodically check the Submission Guidelines for the occasional call for submissions of poetry or book reviews that we may do. In the interim, we wish you and yours a very happy, healthy, joyful, peaceful, blessed, and, of course, creative holiday and a beautiful new year. It's been a pleasure publishing your amazing work and getting to know you through your words and sentiments. And we promise—our paths will cross again!
—Cindy Hochman and Karen Neuberg, Editors
WAR
Four unmatched shoes
Strewn on cracked cobblestones.
We look at photos.
—Sarah Stern
[Editors' Note: The poem "War" is from Sarah's latest book, Dear Letters in the Red Box, which will be published by Kelsay Books in 2025/2026]
Sarah Stern is the author of three poetry books: We Have Been Lucky in the Midst of Misfortune (Kelsay Books), But Today Is Different (Wipf and Stock Publishers), and Another Word For Love (Finishing Line Press). Her latest book, Dear Letters in the Red Box, will be published by Kelsay Books in 2025/2026. She is a six-time winner of the Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO Poetry Award, a recipient of two Pushcart Prize nominations, and several Poets & Writers' Readings & Workshops Grants. Learn more: https://sarahstern.me/.
how wind moves snowshine through bare elms
*******************
all day snow
a window
to the end of time
—Joshua St. Claire
Joshua St. Claire is an accountant from a small town in Pennsylvania. His poetry has been published in Notre Dame Review, Tampa Review, Jet Fuel Review, Allium, and Modern Haiku, among other journals, He is the winner of Rattle: Poets Respond, the Gerald Brady Memorial Senryu Award, and the Trailblazer Award.
On a Reproduction of The Great Wave Off Kanagawa by Hokusai
Gazing at the 72” x 48” giclée print
that overwhelms the wall, I
grip my chair’s arm-
rests. The room
is capsizing.
—Joel Allegretti
Joel Allegretti is the author of, most recently, Let’s All Be Happy Today (The Opiate Books, 2025), a collection of short stories. In addition, he has published six books and chapbooks of poetry and Our Dolphin (Thrice Publishing, 2016), a novella. He is the editor of Rabbit Ears: TV Poems (NYQ Books, 2015). The Boston Globe called Rabbit Ears “cleverly edited” and “a smart exploration of the many, many meanings of TV.”
Can’t hold
Candlelight &
Candlemas—the
words swing
lightly in their
hammocks. Not
so Candelabra. That
guttural ending
sleeps on the floor.
—Mark Young
Mark Young was born in Aotearoa / New Zealand but now lives in a small town in North Queensland in Australia. He has been publishing poetry for over sixty-five years, & is the author of around seventy-five books, primarily text poetry but also including speculative fiction, vispo, non-fiction, & art history. He was also the founder & editor of the long-running & much-missed journal Otoliths.
Sway
It’s all right—
More than all right—
To talk back to the sun,
Denounce the moon,
Ridicule the stars,
So long as you keep in mind that
They will proceed in their own set way, and
You carry no more sway
Than does the wind.
—Zev Torres
Zev Torres is a writer and spoken word performer who has been a featured reader at many New York City spoken word events. Zev’s poetry has appeared in numerous print and online publications, including Maintenant 19, Beacon Radiant, NYC: From the Inside, Brownstone Poets’ 2010–2025 Anthologies, Poetry is Dead, The Rainbow Project, and First Literary Review-East.
For the Longest Time She Thought the Neighbor’s Fence Could Predict Sunshine
What was on her mind, rain sweeps away. The aftermath, sun and a promise of olives at lunch. They sit apart, share silence. Absence is such an interesting spice, don’t you think? Later that afternoon, mimicking a feather, she flies out the window and encounters a small box the size for a ring with no room for verbs. Inevitably, the ball of string in her left hand will unravel.
—Kit Kennedy
Kit Kennedy is a queer elder, poet, blogger, photographer living in Walnut Creek, CA. She serves as Poet-in-Residence of SF Bay Times and Resident Poet at Ebenezer Lutheran herchurch. Work has appeared in First Literary Review-East, Gyroscope, Tipton Review, and Shot Glass Journal, among others. Please visit: https//poetrybites.blogspot.com
Ambient (Nature Painting)
A billboard
shifts its
image.
A tree
frog walks
on rain.
***
Skyful
I shrunk
like the stomach
of a rooster
at sea. Here, you
need to take
this pill. It will
heal you. It's so
full of sky.
—Benjamin Niespodziany
Benjamin Niespodziany's writing has appeared in Fence, Booth, Conduit, Fairy Tale Review, Bennington Review, and elsewhere. Along with releasing two books (one of poems with Okay Donkey and one of microfictions with X-R-A-Y), his writing has been featured in the Wigleaf Top 50 and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Microfiction, and Best of the Net. He hosts the Neon Night Mic reading series in Chicago and recently launched Piżama Press. You can find more at neonpajamas.com.
Oblivion’s hands
Her hands are sliced in two as mushrooms invade her home and the fire sputters to a spiderweb of glass. The night is covered in tears and blood pours from the road onto the grass made of sun. The ghost of her hands walks down the liquid road into an invisible portal where there are enigmas to be chopped into infinity and scattered onto an asphalt of dreams. The teardrops of trees explode into rusted icicles while the red walls of dusk melt into a smeared oblivion.
—Alison Ross
Clockwise Cat publisher and editor Alison Ross pioneered the genre and tenets of Zen-Surrealism, and uses those as her guiding aesthetic. She also writes reviews for PopMatters. Clockwise Cat: The Dada Verse is thrilled to announce a new focus on prose poetry, so please do take a gander and submit your creations.
THE
the honesty
of the chickens
allows the children
to gather
***
ABOUT
doesn't write about
but allows the words
to fill the page
until meaning
seems almost possible
***
SONATA
the ants crawling
on the music stave
indicate the notes
that must be played
—Bob Heman
Bob Heman's most recent books are Washing the Wings of the Angels (Quale Press) and The House of Grand Farewells (Luna Bisonte Prods), and the chapbook A Sky Obscured by Bicycles (SurVision).
Autobiography
Always stray unsung notes.
Always paint still wet,
resistant to drying.
Always my life’s structure
is missing a few bricks,
with a plank left teetering,
a bunch of wires unplugged,
dangling.
I mark the blueprint: incomplete.
—Austin Alexis
Austin Alexis is the author of Privacy Issues (Broadside Lotus Press, 2014) and two previously published chapbooks. His work has appeared in Rattle, Crosswinds Poetry Journal, Hawaii Pacific Review, and elsewhere. His first book in eleven years, The Whirlpool Bath, was recently published by Kelsay Books.
After Seeing J.M.W. Turner’s Death on a Pale Horse
Well, that was unexpected!
To see Death like that, splayed so meekly
across the back of a failing phantom steed.
No longer so confident, but much more a bony
contortionist fumbling out of the sprawling mist,
from that infernal pitch into ashen sublimation.
No wonder the Tate Modern wanted Turner’s Death.
To hang from their walls, and ponder with a
most mortal thirst.
—Ryan Quinn Flanagan
Ryan Quinn Flanagan is a Canadian-born author residing in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and many bears that rifle through his garbage. His work can be found both in print and online in such places as: Evergreen Review, The New York Quarterly, First Literary Review-East, Literary Yard, Red Fez, and The Oklahoma Review.
Once
Before cell phones
and dog walkers
this—was my beat
I’d steal a glance
at cherry blossoms
introduce myself to a tree
Full of expectation
I'd hug daffodils
embrace rows of tulips
I used to live
across from this park
the world was mine.
—Susan Weiman
Susan Weiman is a storyteller, and writes literary nonfiction and poetry. Her work has been published in the Paterson Literary Review, Trolley, Homeplanetnews.com, First Literary Review-East, and elsewhere. She has three chapbooks, Roommates, New York-ish, and “Let’s Get Together When It’s Over.” She is working on a memoir collection.
Granddaughter
too scratchy
and hot
so I never
wear it
the scarf you
knitted for me
when you were eleven
is beautiful
—Tony Beyer
Tony Beyer writes in Taranaki, New Zealand. Appearance in First Literary Review-East has been one of the true pleasures of his recent activity.
[Editors’ Note: We appreciate that very much, Tony.]
White Birch (Double Haiku/Double Tanka)
1
Golden radiance
against blue December sky—
white birch on corner.
2
Birds rest on white birch—
yellow leaves even brighter
under winter sky.
3
Tiger, large and fierce,
becomes a frightened tabby.
Inside this temple,
a statue in white and gold
awakens, offers solace.
4
A single feather
from Freyja’s V-neck collar
calms his yellow eyes.
Birds return to the white birch—
snow covers its fallen leaves.
—Patricia Carragon
Patricia Carragon hosts Brownstone Poets and is the editor-in-chief of its annual anthology. She edits Sense & Sensibility Haiku Journal and is listed on the registry for The Haiku Foundation. Her book of jazz poetry, Stranger on the Shore, was accepted by Human Error Publishing for publication later this year.
Warm Spell, Late January
pale shell-pink heavens, sunrise after rain
murmuration of starlings bends and writhes northward
two white gulls rain brought inland on the river
dive bomb each other toward pavement
empty for a moment of early morning traffic
almost balmy air caresses tight buds still wrapped in winter brown
cold corners turn, gather wet earth round tightly
not yet finished with this year’s long nap
—Ann Wehrman
(previously published online in Medusa’s Kitchen, February 9, 2012)
Ann Wehrman is a creative writer and musician living in Northern California. She teaches English composition online for University of Phoenix and University of Arizona Global Campus. Ann's poetry has appeared in print and online journals, including Tule Review, Blue Heron Review, Medusa's Kitchen, Pirene's Fountain, the Voices anthologies, and Poetry Now, as well as her literary reviews in Pedestal Magazine. She can also be found teaching yoga, reading, cooking, and playing her flute.
Rising
for Noah Mobili
The truth is I’ve been frightened
to be happy more than once,
I could name the times
tragedy buried my smile
in Pompeii lava,
but you’ve been there too,
invulnerable
until life turned kryptonite
crashing to the ground
in your red cape,
shrouded like Christ
forgotten for three days
until you rose again,
the nails’ rust on your palms
your smile still
faint, rising.
—Juan Pablo Mobili
Juan Pablo Mobili was born in Buenos Aires. His poems have appeared, among other publications, in The American Journal of Poetry, Hanging Loose Press, and Paterson Literary Review, as well as publications in Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. He has received multiple nominations for the Pushcart Prize, and his chapbook, Contraband, was published in 2022.
F STOP
Where do you get off, sight seer?
Focus the lens on what lies ahead.
Let me cover your dream’s tail.
Wheresoever hooch meets cooch
I’ll draw the line of fire and
snap pictures of the hankering.
Courage, citizens. Our citadel is
an umbrella. Bow not to a cudgel.
Datura’s yellow bugles bulge.
A riesling rises to the occasion.
Raindrops riddle a puddle. Rings
of ripples overlap—like us.
The gravedigger strikes paydirt.
We enter a period that won’t stop.
—Jeffrey Cyphers Wright
Jeffrey Cyphers Wright received his MFA after studying with Allen Ginsberg. A New Romantic poet, he is also a publisher, art and literary critic, eco-activist, impresario, filmmaker, and artist. He is author of 20 books of verse. His work appears in Best American Poetry, 2023. He received a Kathy Acker Award for both publishing and writing. A recent collection called Fuel for Love, won the James Tate Award. Wright publishes Live Mag! You can see his films and puppet shows on YouTube.
Jeffrey Cyphers Wright’s Puppet, Rufus
resembles Reynard the Fox, who reminds me of Renault, cars banned in the U.S. due to their unfortunate habit of distracting drivers by reciting Carolingian sagas in Occitan. The French word for lemon reminds me of Citroen, another brand you can’t get here. Too bad. I’d love to drive a Citroen DS while wearing a trench coat, fedora, and .44 Magnum revolver in a shoulder holster just like Eddie Constantine in Alphaville. Of course, they won’t let you have Smith & Wesson 29s in France because they distract the editors of Cahiers du Cinéma with Clint Eastwood’s lines from Dirty Harry, forcing me to defend myself with words. Ducon, connard, dégage and “Do you feel lucky, punk?" won’t stop cocaine-addled bears or mutant Venus flytraps, crossbred with great-white sharks. A tough secret agent needs something more potent like a Leclerc main battle tank or guard dog. German shepherds are out due to France’s troubled history with its neighbor. Bred in the French-speaking part of Belgium, a Malinois might be acceptable to Parisians. It would be hard to fit one under my coat, though.
—Jon Wesick
Jon Wesick has written over a million words in poems, short stories, and novels. Hundreds of his works have appeared in journals such as the I-70 Review, The New Verse News, Paterson Literary Review, and Unlikely Stories Mark V. He is a regional editor of the San Diego Poetry Annual and host of the Gelato East Fiction Open Mic. His latest book, Reductio Ad Absurdum, is a collection of parodies. He lives in Manchester, New Hampshire, and longs for gene editing to bring giant wombats back from extinction. http://jonwesick.com
Lucky Snake
Dun Dunt says that being
invisible is a joy. He never
has to hide any expressions,
can sit anywhere, even
on top of a kitchen curtain. If
a buffoon says something
dumb, he laughs and laughs,
no one hearing. Dun Dunt
is a snake. We see
his imprint on sand,
nothing more.
—Kenneth Pobo
Kenneth Pobo has a new book from Broken Tribe Press called It Gets Dark So Soon Now.
Shhh …
There is a witch living
on the corner where
the four roads meet.
Her eye is evil, her
nose crooked.
She lays down
the tarot pattern
with wrinkled hands.
Asks “do you wish
tea of wormwood
or hen bane?”
She will enchant
your mind now into
fields of wild roses.
—Joan McNerney
Joan McNerney’s poetry has been published worldwide in over thirty-five countries in numerous literary magazines. Four Best of the Net nominations have been awarded to her. Her books The Muse in Miniature, Love Poems for Michael I & II, At Work, and Light & Shadows are all available at amazon.com
But Wait ...
He
who
tends to
hesitate
quite often is me—
so, instead, I’ll procrastinate
and I’ll save that date
for a fate
that’s yet
to
be.
—Ken Gosse
Ken Gosse prefers writing whimsical, rhymed verse using traditional forms. First published in First Literary Review-East in November 2016, since then by over fifty other publishers, including Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Academy of the Heart and Mind, Pure Slush, Home Planet News, and others. Raised in the Chicago suburbs, now retired, he and his wife live in Mesa, AZ, usually with rescue dogs and cats underfoot.
Total Recall
I found you in my synapses
You presented yourself
what remains once you’ve been gone
what I’m able to carry there
gaseous souvenir
You swirl in precision
some fog of you, some attachment
that only electrochemistry can explain
where psychology, memory, and neuroscience
meet soul
—Jeff Santosuosso
Jeff Santosuosso is a business consultant and writer living in Delaware. His work has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. His poetry chapbook, Body of Water, is available through Clare Songbirds Publishing House. You can find his poems in a variety of print and online publications.
Legacy
archiving letters, poems & old photos
testaments proving I thrived while alive
with loving keepsakes I’ll never dispose
by archiving letters, poems & old photos
chronicling my life’s indomitable drive
sweet testaments prove I thrived while alive
archiving these letters, poems & old photos
testaments proving I thrived while alive
—Davidson Garrett
Davidson Garrett is a poet and actor who drove a yellow taxi for forty years to help subsidize his artistic pursuits. He is the author of two poetry collections, King Lear of the Taxi (2006, Advent Purple Press) and Arias of a Rhapsodic Spirit (Kelsay Books, 2022). His chapbook, Cabaletta, was published in 2022 by Finishing Line Press. Davidson is a member of the Worker Writers School, and he has had five spoken word plays performed for Boog City Poets’ Theater.
Customer Service
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—Gary D. Grossman
Gary D. Grossman enjoys sharing his poems and essays, published in 70+ literary reviews. His graphic memoir, three books of poetry, and gourmet venison cookbook all may be purchased via his website or Amazon. Gary enjoys running, fishing, gardening, and playing the ukulele. Website: https://www.garygrossman.net/