Philly Poetry Chapbook Review is pleased to feature Robert Allen’s poem “Aphasia” as our first featured chapbook poem of Issue 11: Winter 2026. You can find more poetry in his chapbook, Aphasia, from Inkfish Press.
Aphasia
-for the one who listens
I look to you vowing my hate
when of course I mean I love you
and it came out wrong, backward
in my heart, in my art, I mean you.
I can say aphasicaly I hate you
with a deep longing for anger
and you turn to me a life, I mean a light,
I mean your face, I mean your song.
Then also I have it wrong again.
Except when I say your name: Lasara.
(This poem was first published by Discretionary Loves. It is reprinted here with the author’s permission.)
About the Poem
‘Aphasia’ is about communication and miscommunication in a relationship, and finding the correct words for expressions of love and desire can be difficult. Ultimately this is a poem of love and recognition, of finding the right words for the right listener, to the one who listens and understands.
Author Bio
Robert Allen is a poet, teacher, and writing coach living in Oakland, California with his family. He studied comparative literature and languages at Seattle University and Antioch University. As a coach, Robert supports poets in finding their true voice, freeing the creative process, and producing publishable work. He has published poetry, flash fiction, and book reviews in online magazines and print publications. Find him at robertallenpoet.com/
From Aphasia
Robert Allen’s Aphasia is an expression of the confusion of tongues that can arise with love and desire. These sparse and deeply felt poems are about yearning, yearning for the understanding and notice of the loved subject. Romantic love does not exist in itself, it requires the gracious presence of another. Sometimes that recognition is a simple act of clear communication, and at other times, the connection is missed. The poems attempt to move beyond grief and loneliness and into a place of gratification and joy.
Available from: Inkfish Press
Contents
“Managing [my husband’s] pain became fraught in the last week of his life when he could no longer swallow the medications that had kept him comfortable…The poem explores the vulnerability and intimacy found in such a crisis.” Read five poems by Amy Riddell, our first biweekly poet of the Winter 2026 issue, along with a few words about “Reading the Body.”
Chapbook Poem: Aphasia by Robert Allen
“Ultimately this is a poem of love and recognition, of finding the right words for the right listener, to the one who listens and understands.” Read the featured Chapbook Poem of the Month for January 2026, “Aphasia,” along with a few words from the poet.
Book Excerpt: The Egg of Anything by Paula Bohince
“The poem is filled with moments of ‘O’ sounds and ‘Ah’ sounds, mimicking the O of the egg and the Ah of the open jaw. I like that the poem is compact in its little form, also a bit egg-like.” Read the featured Excerpt Poem of the Month for January 2026, “The Egg of Anything” from A Violence by Paula Bohince, along with a few words from the poet.
Three Poems by Abraham Aondoana
“Instead of providing any solution to the issue, the poem is ready to be open to the ambiguity that can enable doubt, tenderness, and resilience to co-exist. By so doing, it points to survival not as victory, but as endurance…” Read three poems by Abraham Aondoana, our second biweekly poet of the Winter 2026 issue, along with a few words about “Surviving a Country That is Also a Question.”