Irony’s Fall From Grace

The singer's orgiastic phlegm hung in the air
long enough for most to see it coming
heads down, esoterically complaint.
Except for our spiritual leader, Smegma
who agreed to wear it as a badge of honor.



Bio: Colin James was born in England but lives in Massachusetts. He works in Energy Conservation. Some of his poems have appeared Waterlogged August, The, Sage Trail, 88, The Ottawa Review and others. He is a member of The Brothers Of The Endemic.

Paul Brookes, Otherness (Jane’s Studio Press 2023) and These Random Acts of Wildness (Glasshouse Press, 2022)

Paul Brookes’ These Random Acts of Wildness is an amazing tour de force. In this collection, Brookes manages to explore nature in all its wild glory and the human compulsion to tame it within the confines of the sonnet form. Along the way, he explores family life, grief, love, loneliness, death, and memories.

In “Wildlife Map,” Brookes’ wit shines through:

In “I Make A Cuppa,” Brookes reveals truths in his poignant poem–
we drink tea at the cost of workers who harvest it, and at the risk of remembering—

This collection bravely reveals childhood and adult loneliness and being bullied, but it is “My Bella” that affected me the most. Anyone who has had a beloved animal companion will understand.

In Othernesses, Brookes once again…

Patricia’s Pen is delighted to welcome poet, Karen Pierce Gonzalez as she celebrates the launch of her poetry pamphlet Coyote in the Basket of My Ribs published by Kelsay Books.

Coyote In the Basket of My Ribs

Karen Pierce Gonzalez

Coyote in the Basket of My Ribs was inspired by a long-held kinship I have with Coyote. Not the trickster most people think of, but the mythic messenger who travels between life and death with seamless ease. Little did I know that, as the collection came together, she would guide by example as I unearthed again regions of my own very difficult life/death terrain.

The loss of my sister Fortunee when we were children was one of those canyons. Her death, unfortunately, occurred in a car accident as she and my mother were driving to the store to get something for me. The many facets of this loss have…

The Crow Gods by Sarah Connor (Sidhe Press 2023)

Sarah Connor’s long-anticipated chapbook (long-anticipated by many, including me), The Crow Gods is everything I hoped for–and more. It is carefully crafted and self-assured, the work of a poet who knows what she wants to say. Connor’s work is sensory, both melodious and stark—a balancing act on a tightrope crossing joyful meadows to stormy seas and back.

The title poem, “The Crow Gods,” hits like a crow flying right into your gut. It is a recitation that is all the more powerful for its calm recitation.

But there are poems of children, love, and love of place.

There are ghosts and spring sunlight that

Throughout, there are rooks, hares, goldfinches, and the sea. There is wisdom in this book. There is courage. There is love—so much love. The poems here fly, swim, gallop, and drive through the English countryside, traveling through…

Bio: Sarah Wallis lives by the sea on the East Coast of Scotland, since moving from Yorkshire x4 years ago. She publishes cross genre, highlights are poetry in The Yorkshire Poetry Anthology, Abridged The Violet Hour, flash fiction at Ellipsis, a winning story at The Welkin and art in Feral. Recent work includes hybrid poem art at Osmosis, in print journals Gutter, Fragmented Voices, Eat the Storms –print and podcast. Chapbooks include Medusa Retold, Precious Mettle and How to Love the Hat Thrower.

Old Eign Hill

after Anne Sexton’s 45 Mercy Street

In my dream I’m walking up and down the Hafod Road and searching for a sign to - Old Eign Hill – but no, I’m on the wrong hill, and every time. I know the number, the varnished door, the clean, clear glass to see visitors through, and just in case, the Brasso’d doorknock, the shining bell. The…

Bio: DK Snyder's work appears in Cease Cows Magazine, Unbroken Journal, Shotgun Honey, and elsewhere. She lives in Virginia. Find her on Twitter @millioncandles. 

ONE LAST SONG

By DK Snyder

By 2:30 in the morning I’d eased the last stragglers out onto the sidewalk, where they lingered in the pool of light spilling from the front window and the neon sign. I locked the door to the club. Through the smudged windowpane, I watched until two aging regulars, Bobby and Pete, made it safely across the street and out of sight. The empty club was quiet. I wiped the wobbly, mismatched tables, my knuckles stiff with the dull ache of 35 years working here. I stepped behind the long wooden bar top to gather the dirty glasses, and froze: a tall, angular man was slouched on the last stool. My jaw dropped. A glass slipped from my hand and…

(c)HilLesha O’Nan

Coming very soon Issue 6 of the Fevers of the Mind Poetry & Art Print Anthology will be available for purchase on Amazon. I’m still putting together the submissions to doc format. This will feature the collaborations that i’ve (David L O’Nan) have done with several other great writers on “The Empath Dies in the End” series of poems last Fall (the remainder will be placed in future anthologies including The Whiskey Mule Diner for the Elliott Smith inspired pieces) this issue will also include features from poet/writers Christian Garduno, Pasithea Chan, Kushal Poddar, Michael Igoe, also included is our photo prompt challenge poems to a photo supplied by writer Kevin DeLaney. Also included so far but definitely not limited to are poems/prose by Ceinwen E Cariad Haydon, HilLesha O’Nan, Ethan O’Nan, Victoria Leigh Bennett, Peter Magliocco, Donna Dallas, Joan Hawkins, Lorna Wood, Matthew Freeman, Lesley Curwen, Tova…

Bio: Jennifer Patino is a poet who lives for books and film. She has had work featured in Door is A Jar, Punk Noir Magazine, A Cornered Gurl, The Chamber Magazine, Fevers of the Mind, Free Verse Revolution Lit, Windy Knoll Zine, and elsewhere. She lives in Traverse City, Michigan with her husband. Visit her blog at www.thistlethoughts.com.

Heather Donahue in Voice-Over Sharpening nails for the final girl battle, scream queens give stank eye. Pick apart Heather’s flannel and question her sexuality. They want to borrow her lip shade because it’s autumnal. Want to know what happened when the cameras were off. Want to know if they can mimic her screams. No one offers Heather a tissue or a bloody shoulder. No one checks her for ticks. They just want the boys’ juicy secrets. Cool girl Heather. A woodland princess. Scotch mouthwash and a last phone call home. Curious…