This month, we consider the peace, love, and joy honored during the world’s many December holiday celebrations. This issue also encourages us to take stock of where we are as human beings, physically, intellectually, and morally, and to take whatever steps are possible to rise to the next level.

Sometimes that’s going outside and getting some exercise. Brian Barbeito walks by a lake and considers the joy of simple living and natural beauty.

Mrinal Kanti Ghosh recollects a dreamy summer night. Olga Levadnaya captures the solemn stillness of midday heat. Christina Chin renders up the cold silence and calm of winter.

Aura Echeverri Uribe evokes the monumental destruction of an avalanche. Jack Galmitz speaks to how we manage and control wildness, in our neighborhoods and our bodies, and how it can reassert itself. Carrie Farrar speaks to the joy and wonder of visiting France to see the Mer de Glace glacier. Mahbub Alam speaks to a solid connection between humanity and nature, like a tree standing firm in the changing winds.

Tasneem Hossain draws on the owl as an extended metaphor for wisdom and protection. Roodly Laurore reflects on the tender and colorful beauty and diversity of nature in a piece which he intends to bring comfort in a violent and turbulent world. Maja Milojkovic encourages us to imagine a new world of gentleness and peace towards our earth and each other.

Elizabetta Bonaparte’s poetry takes a short, but strong and cogent, stand against war. Valentina Yordanova, in poetry translated by Yoana Konstantinova, laments the mindless destruction war brings to ordinary lives. Eva Petropoulou Lianou calls for genuine humanity in a world at war.

Samar Aldeek tenderly celebrates peace in her bilingual poetry. Dr. Perwaiz Shaharyar draws on the style of courtly romance to honor the legacy of Mexican poet, peace activist, and literary cultural worker Dr. Jeannette Tiburcio. Fernando Jose Martinez Alderete joins in the tribute to Dr. Tiburcio and also speaks of the need for peace and mutual respect.

Paul Durand warns us of dangerous currents, both in the ocean and in American politics. Bill Tope’s poem criticizes human rights abuses committed in the name of immigration enforcement. Duane Herrmann speaks to the spiritual unity of all the world’s people under Ba’hai teachings and how that serves as an antidote to racism and anti-immigrant sentiment.

Travel gives us firsthand experience with different cultures and helps us understand each other. Türkan Ergör illustrates the dislocation of travel through clever and poetic alteration of word and line breaks. Lakshmi Kant Mukul captures the exhilaration and elevated beauty of plane flight. Abdumuminova Risolabonu Nizamovna discusses how travel helps people learn practical skills, including pragmatic communication in multiple languages.

Learning foreign languages, and mastering one’s native language, helps us understand each other, whether we travel in person or through imagination and books. Shakhnoza Pulatova Makhmudjanovna offers strategies for mastering the Arabic language. Muhammadjonova O’giloy Bunyodbekov qizi offers up suggestions for learning Turkish that would be helpful for any foreign language. Abduhalilova Sevdora Xayrulla qizi highlights grammar rules surrounding modal verbs in the Uzbek language. Allaberdiyeva Farangiz outlines ways for students learning English as a foreign language to gain writing proficiency.

Xudoyberdiyeva Jasmina analyzes the linguistic phenomenon of “chatspeak” and ‘text-speak” on the Uzbek language in a piece that’s more intrigued than negative. Dinora Sodiqova discusses the importance of professional communication for aspiring young Uzbek leaders.

People can also travel through time by reading older works and studying history. Petros Kyriakou Veloudas reflects on the joy and the weight of being part of a creative heritage, even when one does not know the names of each and every ancestor. Poet Eva Petropoulou Lianou interviews poet Muhammad Shamsul Huq Babu about his literary legacy and dream of building a large book museum.

Dunia Pulungeanu highlights the lifetime intellectual and literary accomplishments of Dr. Edwin Antonio Gaona Salinas. Choriyeva Go’zal Gayratjon qizi explores the resurgence of academic and cultural interest in foundational works of Uzbek literature. Xudoyberdiyeva Mohiniso reflects on the historical significance of the Mud Battle, an early military defeat for Central Asian medieval historical figure Amir Temur.

Farzona Hoshimova celebrates the pride and beauty of the Uzbek culture. Matnazarova Munisa encourages young and old Uzbeks to remember and preserve their traditional culture. Bobonova Zulfiya sings of the pride, freedom, and beauty of her native Uzbekistan. David Woodward evokes a quest for truth through reading Krishnamurti, ultimately reconnecting himself with his family. Rahmonkulova Gulsevar Samidovna considers the cultural values implicit within Uzbek folk legends.

Muhammadjonova Ogiloy Bunyodbekovna reviews Abdulloh Abdulmutiy Huda Said Bahul’s book Qu’logim senda, qizim, which provides Islamic faith-based guidance for young girls, narrated by a loving father. Ruzimbayeva Quvonchoy also urges Uzbeks to hold onto their traditional values, including love, bravery, and respect for women.

Maja Milojkovic translates Eva Petropoulou Lianou’s tribute to hard-working women around the world from English into Serbian. Mashhura Ochilova highlights the historical respect for women in Uzbek culture and what modern Uzbek women have achieved. Jaloldinova Gulzirahon Otabek Kizi highlights women’s increasing participation in Uzbekistan’s public life.

Orifjonova Nozima Azizbek considers the prospects for preserving the Uzbek language in a time of economic and cultural globalization. Rahmonqulova Gulsevar Samid qizi analyzes the crucial father-son relationship at the heart of the Uzbek folk epic tale “Alpomish” and its centrality to Uzbek family-oriented culture. Rahimberdiyev Ozodbek outlines key elements of Uzbekistan’s heroic tales.

Rashidova Shoshanam explores the long shadows Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex has cast over human literature and psychology. Christopher Bernard reviews Cal Performances’ recent dramatization of Chicago’s Manual Cinema’s The Fourth Witch, about the after-effects of Macbeth’s violence on his victims. Paul Murgatroyd draws on Greek tragedy to poke morbid fun at humans: inwardly messy and selfish, even when outwardly clean. J.J. Campbell provides his signature dark view of human nature, full of sardonic, blunt, emotionally transparent blue-collar surrealism. John Grey picks apart human emotions in his vignettes, attempting to understand why we act as we do.

Dr. Jernail Singh describes how Dr. K.B. Razdan diagnoses some emotional and psychological ills of modern life in his book Gather Ye Rosebuds. Sean Meggeson’s visual poetry speaks to what we gain and lose as modern society progresses. J.K. Durick waxes poetic about times when it seemed that matters were more easily understood and categorized.

Abdulhafiz Iduoze’s epic poem, layered with traditional and modern references from Benin’s culture, serves as a ritual chant and prophetic warning about colonialism and corrupt power structures. It situates recent dynamics within epic time, reminding readers that current matters are not destined to last forever.

Shikdar Mohammed Kibriah affirms the reality of his personal experience amidst the complex claims of philosophical schools. Aisha Al-Maharabi speaks with the voice of one who asserts his claim to existence, writ large on the natural and human worlds. Strider Marcus Jones speaks to reclaiming and holding onto our interior life, emotions, and connection to nature in a world of mass media and technological disruption and deception.

Many other creators explore our internal lives, what we can learn from ourselves and each other and how we can grow as human beings. Allison Grayhurst speaks to her creative and personal journey: learning to function and create through loss, to integrate pain and struggle into her process. Alan Catlin’s fanciful “anxiety dreams” play with our modern insecurities about navigating daily life. Also experiencing anxiety, Mirta Liliana Ramirez’ poetic speaker takes a bit more time before she’s ready to venture out in the world.

Alimardonova Gulsevar Sirojiddinovna explores the balance between personal dreams and duty to society in Somerset Maugham and Abdulla Qodiriy’s writing.

Rus Khomutoff’s latest poetry collection Kaos Karma, reviewed by Cristina Deptula, flows through various words and ideas, pulling us along on the wings of a slow dream. Stykes Wildee’s latest poem seems at once dreamlike and ordinary and conversational, casual thoughts within the subconscious. Mesfakus Salahin’s poetry is ghostlike, contemplative, detached as he contemplates love and death. John Doyle’s poetry harks from a variety of inspirations: everything from insects to gas stations to trains and the countryside. Arjun Razdan’s quick fictional sketch compares young women he sees to elegant fine wine.

Annah Atane’s poetry elegantly traces the outlines of grief and sorrow. Abdulsamad Idris also explores tragedy and loss through a more frank and visceral voice. Graciela Noemi Villaverde finds herself lashed by the storms of loneliness and sorrow. Hanaan Abdelkader Ashour approaches loss with tenderness, offering a kind and reverent note of remembrance for departed loved ones. Marianne Jo Alves Zullas speaks openly of her mourning for her departed mother, everywhere and nowhere at once. Mykyta Ryzhykh’s poem captures the emotional emptiness of a relationship where one person loves intensely, and the other remains distant, consumed by their own habits. Marjona Eshmatova outlines various types of family system dysfunction and how to address them psychologically. Taylor Dibbert points to the ways even well-meaning people can misunderstand each other. Dilobar Maxmarejabova warns us how a person’s heart can become colder and more jaded over time.

Mohamed Rahal speaks of striving for authenticity in one’s faith and in love. Narzulloyeva Munisa Bakhromovna encourages people not to compare themselves negatively with others’ projected lives on social media. Raximberdiyeva Moxinabonu outlines the pressing mental health concern of smartphone addiction and the need to balance our phones with the real world. Moldiyeva Bahodirovna speaks to the way digital technologies have permeated our lives and how to have the Metaverse complement, rather than replace, our world. Choriyeva Xurmo urges balance in the use of digital media in preschool education. Orozboyeva Shodiyeva highlights educational social media applications and encourages her peers to use those rather than focusing just on entertainment.

Jacques Fleury reviews Boston’s Huntington Theater’s production of Alison Bechdel’s tale Fun Home, highlighting themes of intergenerational understanding, how children gradually came to make sense of their parents’ worlds. Young poet Avazova Diyora Alisher qizi offers her good wishes to her teacher in a tender poem. Fayzullayeva Shabbona Sirojiddinova shares her appreciation for her wise and caring father.

Priyanka Neogi playfully celebrates innocent, childlike love. Milana Momcilovic evokes an eternal, spiritual love. Dr. Brajesh Kumar Gupta captures an elegant romantic kiss under moonlight. Vorhees describes erotic and tender love with gentle whimsy and echoes of history. Kemal Berk contributes a graceful love poem about the merging of egos and personalities within a relationship.

Ana Elisa Medina describes a love that encourages her to become a better person. Mohan Maharana celebrates the value of small acts of kindness. Abdusaidova Jasmina shares the importance of kindness through a children’s tale involving a mouse. Balachandra Nair highlights the value of virtue by presenting positive character traits as valuable jewels on display.

Sayani Mukherjee pleads for deep, enduring joy that can withstand the world’s problems.

One way many people find joy is through engaging in various forms of creativity and knowledge gathering. Farida Tijjani draws on a wide variety of technical and natural inspirations to explore gender, creativity, and society.

Various contributors speak of advances in different fields. Uzoqova Gulzoda encourages innovative approaches to elementary school education. Nazulloyeva Feruzabonu highlights the value of science and innovation in inspiring society as well as providing material advancements.

Abdujabborova Rayhona points out ways medical and psychological professionals can reduce unhealthy stresses for pregnant people. Durdona Sharifovna Roziboyeva highlights the success of a recent orthodontic treatment for upper airway issues.

Dinora Sodiqova outlines basic principles of modern consumer advertising. Mamarajabova Shahnoza discusses how digital technologies are transforming the field of accounting. Dianne Reeves Angel celebrates the physical and mental artistry of comedian and actor Buster Keaton.

Several pieces remind us that as we advance in our knowledge and our technical skills, we must bring our humanity along with us. Kandy Fontaine raises questions about ethics and oversight concerning how people are treated in American hospitals. Avazbekova Rayyonaxon reminds medical professionals to display professional behavior as well as knowledge.

Finally, Dr. Jernail S. Anand reminds us to occasionally step back from the clatter of daily human interaction to connect with the universe on a deeper level. We wish all of you inspiration and a chance to think, feel, and connect with the world beyond yourselves this holiday season.

  Books

I’m jealous of my books

Sitting over there

So smugly on their shelves

Complete, closed

Finished years ago.

Almost all their authors

Have moved on

Untouchable now

And all I have left

Are these reminders

Lined up side by side

Shoulder to shoulder

Settled in

Knowing their place

In my small world

And that bigger

Outside world where

People know them

Glad to see them

Hold them, read them

Sometimes I dust them

Tend to them as their keeper

Their clumsy, quiet keeper

Who has discovered

His place and is now

Jealous of theirs.

         Cold War

These days it’s easy to miss

and even reminisce fondly

about the Cold War –

the coldness of it,

the threats of it,

the simple sides –

one world power

vs. the only other.

Back then it seemed

like there were only two,

and the rest,

the non-world power countries

sat back waiting, watching,

anticipating outcomes.

We imagined spies

and checkpoints,

missiles pointing

this way and that.

We listened to speeches,

the good guys and the bad,

understood the easy equation

of mutual destruction,

measured the future

in terms of numbers

and then sizes of weapons.

Those were simpler times,

checkers instead of chess,

a simple plot scheme,

cowboys and Indians,

just children at play

as opposed to today.

           Haiku

It’s hard to get a haiku

to happen.

First of all, we must

adjust our thinking,

get big ideas in small spaces

a small upstairs room

instead of crowded

street scenes,

more Dickinson

than Whitman.

Then we get to count

three lines

and words viewed

in their pieces –

syllable count

oh, syllable count.

We get to see them

in a different light

broken down

into the parts we rarely

remember.

And the haiku needs

an image to play on

and a speaker we trust

to lead us through

the lines, the words

and the brief moment

we give over

to its take of the small

world we share.

Pyramid Prison

in detritus metronomes

of human habitation

the ghost of Shelley’s imagination

questions the elemental,

experimental

chromosomes

and ribosomes

of DNA,

reverse engineered

that suddenly appeared

as evolution yesterday.

her monster mirrors dark wells

of monsters in our smart selves,

the lost humanity and oratory

that fills laboratory

test tubes

with fused

imbued

genes

to dreams

of flat forward faster

distinction

to disaster

and barbarism’s

ectopic extinction.

this is our pyramid prison,

where all souls

and proles

climb the debased

opposite steps of extremism,

like Prometheus Unbound,

defaced

sitting around

the crouching sphinx

abandoned by missing links.

free masons of money and wars,

warp the altar of natural laws,

so reason withers

and wastelands rust-

no longer rivers

of shared stardust

in the equal symphony of spheres

in space,

filling our ears

with subwoofer bass,

definitive

primitive

medieval

evil

waste.

It’s So Quiet

it’s so quiet

our eloquent words dying on a diet

of midnight toast

with Orwell’s ghost-

looking so tubercular in a tweed jacket

pencilling notes on a lung black cigarette packet-

our Winston, wronged for a woman and sin

rewrote history on scrolls thought down tubes

that came to him

in the Ministry of Truth Of Fools

where conscience learns to lie within.

not like today

the smug-sly haves say and look away

so sure

there’s nothing wrong with wanting more,

or drown their sorrows

downing bootleg gin

knowing tomorrows

truth is paper thin

.

at home

in sensory

perception

with tapped and tracked phone

the Thought Police arrest me

in the corridors of affection-

where dictators wear, red then blue, reversible coats

in collapsing houses, all self-made

and self-paid

smarmy scrotes-

now the Round Table

of real red politics

is only fable

on the pyre of ghostly heretics.

they are rubbing out

all the contusions

and solitary doubt,

with confusions

and illusions

through wired media

defined in their secret encyclopaedia-

where summit and boardroom and conclave

engineer us from birth to grave.

like the birds,

i will have to eat

the firethorn

berries that ripen but sleep

to keep

the words

of revolution

alive and warm

this winter, with resolution

gathering us, to its lantern in the bleak,

to be reborn and speak.

THE PORTAL IN THE WOODS

Seeing somnambulist sunrise

Through open window

Touch your face

After love rides

On moon tides

In ebb and flow

At tantric pace-

Love resides

Tasted

No asides

Wasted

Spices of the flesh

Soaking rooms in Marrakesh

How I ate your truffle in Zanzibar

While you smoked my long cigar.

Back home-

Tribes of bloods

And druids roam

Seeking out the overgrown

Portal in the woods

Where we hondfast

In this present of the past

Dance chanting

In stone bone circles

Like ooparts

Practicing

Magical arts

Settling

What chaos hurtles-

Reconnecting rhythms

In living and dead

To those algorithms

In nature’s head.

We are rustic-

Romantic

In land and sky

The  air  fire  water

To warriors who slaughter

If Us or Them must die.

We wake

For clambake

Pleasure

In a cauldron lake

Of limbs together

Then cut sods of peat

From the bog under our feet

Exposing the pasts

That never last.

CUBIST GHETTOS

I think

To shrink

The distance

Of resistance

Inside self

To all else-

Knowing

Showing

Vulnerability

In the mystery

Leaves what is closed

Openly exposed-

To explanation

Under examination

When there isn’t one

That hasn’t gone

Until roof floor and sky door

Are no more-

Only roulette rubbles

Of drone troubles

Imprisoning

Reasoning

In cubist ghettos

Wearing jazz stilettos-

Flashing flamingo legs

To pink paradise Harlem heads

While new trees grow up mute

And ripen with strange fruit

Some whites too this time

A drowned boy, me and mine.

THE HEAD IN HIS FEDORA HAT

a lonely man,

cigarette,

rain

and music

is a poem

moving,

not knowing-

a caravan,

whose journey does not expect

to go back

and explain

how everyone’s ruts

have the same

blood and vein.

the head in his fedora hat

bows to no one’s grip,

brim tilted into the borderless

plain

so his outlaw wit

can confess

and remain

a storyteller,

that hobo fella

listening like a barfly

for a while

and slow-winged butterfly

whose smile

they can’t close the shutters on

or stop talking about

when he walks out

and is gone.

whisky and tequila

and a woman, who loves to feel ya

inside

and outside

her

when ya move

and live as one,

brings you closer

in simplistic

unmaterialistic

grooved

muse Babylon.

this is so,

when he stands with hopes head,

arms and legs

all aflow

in her Galadriel glow

with mithril breath kisses

condensing sensed wishes

of reality and dream

felt and seen

under that

fedora hat

inhaling smoke

as he sang and spoke

stranger fella

storyteller.

Strider Marcus Jones – is a poet, law graduate and former civil servant from Salford, England with proud Celtic roots in Ireland and Wales. He is the editor and publisher of Lothlorien Poetry Journal https://lothlorienpoetryjournal.blogspot.com/. A member of The Poetry Society, nominated for the Pushcart Prize x4 and Best of the Net x3, his five published books of poetry  https://stridermarcusjonespoetry.wordpress.com/ reveal a maverick, moving between cities, playing his saxophone in smoky rooms.

Frozen Fish

Coming home from work is the same every day. The streets are noisy, cars roar, people hurry, and children laugh and play with pure innocence. Life around me is alive, yet inside me—silence.

  There is a strange emptiness in my heart. As if something is missing. But what? I don’t even know. Deep inside my chest, there is a voice wanting to speak, but no one seems to hear it.

  As usual, I entered that same store to buy dinner. The shop assistant greeted me with his usual smile, his usual words:

 “Hello, how can I help you?”

 And I, once again, was silent. I didn’t know what to buy. I simply wandered between the aisles. Fruits, sweets, colorful products… and finally, I stopped in front of the freezer.

  There it was — the frozen fish.

  My eyes instantly caught it. Strange… why did my heart recognize this coldness so quickly? I reached out — cold, yet familiar somehow. In that very moment, I felt something… something I couldn’t explain even to myself.

  I took the fish. The shop assistant, as always, was polite:

  “That will be 30,000 so‘m,” he said with a smile.

 I handed him the money, but my thoughts had already walked away with that frozen fish. As I walked home, a thought crossed my mind: “This is not the fish… it’s me who is frozen.”

  Yes, perhaps I am the same — alive, yet without warmth. My feelings have frozen inside my heart. That’s why I cannot love, cannot feel gratitude, cannot trust anyone.

 There was a time when I was different — cheerful, innocent, someone who made others laugh. Now everyone says: “You’ve changed, the old Zebi is gone.” Maybe they’re right. Maybe I was once a fish swimming freely in the ocean, but the cold hand of life caught me… and froze me.

 Now I live, but I do not feel. I breathe, but I am not alive.

 Who knows, maybe inside each of us lives a frozen fish — a piece of ice that has grown used to the cold and forgotten what warmth feels like…

My name is Dilobar Maxmarejabova. I am a 2nd-year student at the University of Journalism and Mass Communications, majoring in Philology and English Language Teaching.

ALISHER NAVOIY NOMIDAGI TOSHKENT DAVLAT O’ZBEK TILI VA ADABIYOTI UNIVERSITETINING ONA TILI VA ADABIYOT FAKULTETIO’ZBEK TILI VA ADABIYOT YO’NALISHI 13-GURUH TALABASIRAHMONQULOVA GULSEVAR SAMID QIZI

Father-Son Relationship in the “Alpomish” Epic 

Abstract  This article analyzes the father-son relationship in the “Alpomish” epic, a unique example of Uzbek folk oral creativity. It demonstrates that the relationships between Alpomish and his son Yadgar in the epic’s plot express family loyalty, heroic heritage, and generational continuity. The article illuminates the ideological-artistic features of the epic, its plot motifs, and differences in various variants based on the research of literary scholars such as Hamid Olimjon, V.M. Zhirmunsky, Hodi Zarif, Bahodir Sarimsoqov, and To‘ra Mirzayev.

The father-son relationship is linked to ancient folklore roots, comparative analysis with world epics, and national values, emphasizing the epic’s significance in folk education.   Keywords. “Alpomish” epic, father-son relationship, family ties, heroic epic, generational continuity, Uzbek folk oral creativity, folklore studies, Hamid Olimjon, V.M. Zhirmunsky, Hodi Zarif, Bahodir Sarimsoqov, To‘ra Mirzayev, plot motifs, national values, variant comparisons.  

The “Alpomish” epic, one of the largest and most perfect examples of Uzbek folk oral creativity, not only expresses the spirit of heroism and patriotism but also deeply depicts family relationships, particularly the father-son bond. In the epic’s plot, themes such as family, intergenerational connections, loyalty, and protection occupy a central place. These relationships reflect the nation’s national customs, moral standards, and way of life, as the epic has been passed down orally from generation to generation over centuries, shaped by historical conditions.

In this article, we analyze this theme based on the research of literary scholars, particularly drawing from the opinions of experts such as Hamid Olimjon, V.M. Zhirmunsky, Hodi Zarif, Bahodir Sarimsoqov, and To‘ra Mirzayev, to broadly illuminate the father-son relationships in various variants of the epic. The studies of these scholars have made significant contributions to exploring the ideological-artistic features of the epic, its plot structure, and system of characters.  

Literary scholars have studied the father-son relationship in the “Alpomish” epic within the framework of the epic’s overall ideological-artistic structure. Their opinions help illuminate the ancient roots of the epic, its plot motifs, and national characteristics.  Hamid Olimjon, in the foreword he wrote for the 1939 edition of the epic, evaluates “Alpomish” not only as a favorite work of the Uzbek people but also of Turkic nations. He focuses on the epic’s artistry, similes, and exaggerations, emphasizing the system of characters.

According to Hamid Olimjon, the relationship between Alpomish and his son Yadgar stands at the center of the epic, which served as the cradle of the hero’s poetry. He writes, “Alpomish is considered his most beloved epic. ‘Alpomish’ was the cradle of his poetry,” through which he interprets the father-son bond as generational continuity and heroic heritage. Hamid Olimjon emphasizes the influence of folklore, comparing the epic to the works of Pushkin and Navoiy, where family motifs derive from folk creativity.  

V.M. Zhirmunsky, in his book “Uzbek Folk Heroic Epic” (1947) co-authored with Hodi Zarif and in his article “The Epic Tale of Alpomish and Homer’s Odyssey” (1957), compares the epic to world epics. He likens the hero’s return in the second part of “Alpomish” to Odysseus’s return: just as Odysseus meets his son Telemachus, Alpomish meets his son Yadgar and protects the family. Zhirmunsky meticulously analyzes the plot line, delving into the genesis of the characters Alpomish and Yadgar. In his view, this relationship stems from ancient folklore motifs (the hero appearing at his own wife’s wedding) and has similarities in European folklores. Zhirmunsky connects the basis of the epic to heroic tales, though this assumption was later deemed controversial.  

Hodi Zarif, the founder of folklore studies, analyzes the epic’s emergence period and motifs in his article “The Main Motifs of the ‘Alpomish’ Epic” (published in 1957-1959). He links the epic not to the 17th-18th centuries but to the pre-Mongol invasion period and emphasizes the presence of pre-Islamic beliefs. According to Hodi Zarif, the father-son relationship is one of the central motifs of the epic, representing tribal and national unity. He refutes the accusations of A. Abdunabiyev and A. Stepanov, defending the epic as a popular national epic.

Hodi Zarif studies the etymology of the word Alpomish and the place of the epic’s creation (Boysun – ancient Khorezm), linking family bonds to ancient conceptions.  Bahodir Sarimsoqov, in his article “Three Etudes on the Alpomish Epic,” refutes Zhirmunsky’s assumption, linking the basis of the epic not to heroic tales but to real historical events. In his opinion, the heroic epic directly reflects tribal and clan events, so the father-son relationship derives from the people’s specific historical experience. Sarimsoqov emphasizes that the epic is not based on heroic tales; rather, the tales are based on the epic, which helps interpret the father-son bond as a symbol of national unity and independence.  

To‘ra Mirzayev, in his article “The ‘Alpomish’ Epic, Its Versions and Variants,” illuminates a brief history of the epic, comparing various versions (Kazakh, Karakalpak, Tatar, and others) and Uzbek variants. He reminds that the epic became known in scholarly circles in the 1890s and analyzes variants recorded by various bards (Fozil Yo‘ldosh o‘g‘li and others). According to Mirzayev, the father-son relationship varies in the epic’s versions, but the common motif – generational continuity and family protection – remains preserved. He evaluates the epic as an example of oral creativity that has been sung among the people for centuries.  

The “Alpomish” epic consists of two main parts: the first describes the hero Alpomish’s birth, marriage, and adventures in the Kalmyk lands, while the second narrates his return and protection of his family. The father-son relationship becomes particularly evident in the second part. While Alpomish is in Kalmyk captivity for seven years, his wife Barchinoy (or Barchin) gives birth to a son – Yadgar (in some variants, Yodgor). During this time, in the Qo‘ng‘irot tribe, Alpomish’s brother Ultantaz (or similar characters in other versions) seizes power and persecutes the family: he insults Alpomish’s father, oppresses his son Yadgar, and tries to force Barchin to marry him.  When Alpomish returns, he disguises himself and saves his family.

Here, the father-son relationship takes a dramatic turn: Alpomish recognizes his son but initially fights or tests him. Yadgar is depicted as a young hero who has inherited his father’s bravery – he tries to protect the family but faces difficulties due to his youth and inexperience. With Alpomish’s return, the father-son bond strengthens: the father saves his son and teaches him heroic virtues, while the son continues his father’s legacy. The continuation of the epic (in some variants) is dedicated to Yadgar’s own adventures, emphasizing generational continuity.  

The father-son relationship in the “Alpomish” epic forms the ideological center of the national epic, expressing family loyalty, heroic heritage, and intergenerational unity. Hamid Olimjon’s artistic analysis, Zhirmunsky’s comparative study, Hodi Zarif’s motif research, Bahodir Sarimsoqov’s views on historical foundations, and To‘ra Mirzayev’s variant comparisons help to understand this relationship more deeply. This bond not only enriches the epic’s plot but also reflects the Uzbek people’s national values – family, homeland, and loyalty. The epic’s relevance today lies in its ability to educate the younger generation in the spirit of devotion and justice. These studies indicate the necessity of continuing to explore the epic within the framework of world folklore.

Student of Group 13, Uzbek Language and Literature Major, Faculty of Mother Tongue and Literature, Alisher Navoi Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, Rahmonqulova Gulsevar Samid qizi

Echo of My Words —–

Don’t be angry…

I don’t surrender to anger

And your ideal worlds

Don’t concern me

I am a man with a permit

To cross the thorns of pain

To speak

I do as I please,

I tear the cheeks of lilies,

I strike the face of dew,

I cast my weight upon the moments

I cross the seasons,

I throw love with the butts of my cigarettes

And with all my pride, I depart!!

And I return,

I return to paint hope,

I flirt with the letters anew

I am a knight in the art of words

All the letters

In my chamber, captives

Until the impetuosity leaves me!!

I am a man, you

From the remnants of bygone eras

I carry the books of civilization in my palm,

I brush away the dust of ignorance if it touches my shoulder

Standing tall like a mountain

Untouched by wounds Nor by follies…

I write my mornings

And cast shadows upon dreams!

From the depths of history

I live, I and my voice

I am all images

And all voices

Who are you?

Who are you?!

What are you?

Nothing but an echo of my words!

Poet/ Aisha Al-Maharabi Aden City Republic of Yemen Bachelor of Philosophy, University of Aden Married and a mother Worked in the field of teaching Participated in several Arab festivals in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Jordan Hobbies: Reading and writing in the field of poetry and literature My works have been published in several Arab and foreign newspapers, and I have had several press and radio interviews. – My poetry collection, “Master of the Evening,” was published in 2013 by the University Publishing House, Yemen. – “And the Daisy Breathed” was published in 2014 by Khalid Ibn Al-Walid Publishing House. – “How to Tame Longing” was published in 2014 by Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed Publishing House. – “Stuck Behind the Eyelids of the Homeland” was published in 2017 by Fikra Publishing House. – “Peace Be Upon You, Dawn” was published by Abrar Publishing House in 2019. – “And Madness Has Its Meaning” was published by the Poets on the Window of the World Foundation for Culture and Creativity in 2023.

PEACE

Peace is necessary for all, do not let it be a dream,

   of unnecessary violence.

  the light is for all, man is man’s wolf,

  only love will give us the things that last,

take a trip into your soul.

Peace is required by children,

  chaste pearls of the universe,

  let us not fail them as humanity.

I want to shout to the seas pity for the innocent.

 No mortal being can judge the sin of another,

have no right to take their lives for their ambition,

less revenge for past matters,

nor compel to believe what you do not want.

I call the world to a song of love to Palestine sacred land of god and love

I want to bring about peace with joy,

carry as a flag the respect to the earth,

loving beyond existence.

Silence

Before the veil, the body that was not, just a flash, the Essence without reason. A sea of calm, where the Being rests, immense peace, before being the thing.

The soul travels in light, weightless and without haste, knowing the Whole, without voice or currency. Home without walls, without time to measure, the eternal source of Life.

It is that moment, the subtle memory, where bliss becomes a path of complete being, of not needing. Peace is always, before beginning.

MY GENIUS SISTER

She draws the sky on paper
with hands of light,
with a soul of honey,
her ideas fly like a sparrow,
she weaves dreams with her heart,
the wind whispers, the sea sings,
her voice guides us, makes us think.


My genius sister,
shooting star,
brings peace where there is storm,
her love teaches, her laughter gives,
a new world where she will grow.

She plants books in every corner,
and waters words, harvests reason,
Her mind is fire, her soul a volcano,
she awakens life in every place,
she is a bridge and a lighthouse, calm and sun,
her strength shines, her faith is her driving force.

I love you Jeanette, forever and ever.


FLOWER OF THE WORLD

A flower that perfumed my life with her kindness.
Great teacher. Creator of peace,
brilliant fairy who taught us to think of others,
that was Jeannette’s legacy, her inheritance.

Thank you for existing eternally in our souls,
because with a smile, you continue to give us calm,
you loved Mexico and the world madly,
and you made love a strong architecture.

As orphans, we feel like your siblings,
only God knows how much we miss you,
thank you for all the good you gave,
for showing us that you overcame every obstacle.

Fernando José Martínez Alderete is a writer, poet, and theater actor. Born in Leon Guanajuato Mexico on April 21, 1977, Fernando studied the degree in communication within the Latin American University of Leon. He has written poetry from 14 years of age and published several of his writings in the most important newspapers in his hometown, cultural magazines California, Leon, Guanajuato capital and Zacatecas, USA. He is currently involved as administrator of various literary groups, publishing his poems in social networks, participating in various anthologies published in Black Island, Chile and stories in Madrid, Spain with poets of America and Europe, He has also recited their texts in radio programs in Montevideo, Chicago, Barcelona and Buenos Aires. He is the president of many cultural organizations.