Image c/o Jacques Fleury

Duane Vorhees announces his new book Fastival, available from Hog Press.

Fastival, the latest book of poems from Duane Vorhees, reads as anything but the poet’s final word and contains multitudes of playful exploration for the restless mind.

Covering a dizzying array of themes, this substantial tome delivers an intellectual and spiritual feast. He explores dichotomies — such as sex/love, profane/holy, and life/death — that are suitable for meditation by sinner and saint, as well as by day laborer and tenured professor alike.

Vorhees, in his poem “The Importance of Word Association,” proclaims anyone can write poetry but notes, “But only a true poem can feel the sun on your face as the snow commandos parachute in behind enemy lines. A real poem contains stone syllables standing against a rain-striped horizon.” — John Stephen Howard

Yucheng Tao thanks everyone who entered his poetry contest and announces that the prizes will be paid out in April.

Christopher Bernard announces his new book The Beauty of Matter (out from A Press of Rabble) and invites people to read and review it. Please email us at synchchaos@gmail.com if you’re interested.

A lyrical journey into nature, spirit, and the quiet mysteries of being aliveIn this contemporary poetry collection, Christopher Bernard invites readers into a world where ordinary moments reveal extraordinary depth. With the grace of lyrical verse and the clarity of philosophical insight, these poems move through landscapes of memory, nature, beauty, and our shared human search for meaning.This is poetry for readers who crave emotional richness, mindful presence, and poetic meditations that illuminate both the fragile and the eternal. Through imagery rooted in wild earth, myth, and the intimate spaces of everyday life, the poems contemplate existence, loss, renewal, and the astonishing beauty hidden within matter itself.

A Celebration of Life in Every Grain of Being

Here are poems where the natural world speaks, where silence becomes revelation, and where spirit and earth touch.

Bernard explores mortality not with despair, but with wonder, reminding us that every breath, every shadow, every passing moment is charged with significance. Readers will find nature inspired writing that moves between tenderness and awe, between solitude and belonging, revealing how deeply our lives are shaped by the world around us and the world within us.

For Lovers of Reflective and Soulful Poetry

Perfect for readers of lyrical verse collection and philosophical poetry, this book speaks to those who seek: poems about nature and life, existential poems, meditations on life, spiritual poetic reflections, poetry about mortality and rebirth, poems about memory and meaning.

If you believe poetry can open the heart and sharpen the senses, if you are drawn to poetic meditations that deepen presence and expand awareness, this collection belongs in your hands.

Discover a voice that honors the beauty of existence and the mystery of being human.

Now, for March’s second issue, which forms a polyphonic archive of the contemporary human condition, fragmented, globalized, anxious, but full of people searching for meaning, beauty, and connection. A chorus of voices from different countries, cultures, ages, and backgrounds, all speaking to how we can remain human in a complicated age.

First, we address war, violence, and illegitimate political power. These pieces do not merely document suffering; they interrogate the structures that produce it. They ask what it means to live under systems that distort truth, normalize destruction, and erode empathy. Yet even here, amid devastation, there is an undercurrent of resistance—a refusal to accept violence and injustice as inevitable.

Patricia Doyne lambasts the United States’ blowing up a girls’ school during the war in Iran. Stephen Jarrell Williams laments the coldness and human tragedy that leads to war. Ibrahim Honjo calls for peace by cursing those who wish for war. Bhagirath Choudhary’s poem, translated to French by Samar Al-Deek, also critiques war through the dramatization of violence against women and children. Poet Billy Bin celebrates women and laments war and human rights violations. Mykyta Ryzhykh’s work comments on human fragility and the internal and external destruction caused by vaulting ambition and greed for power. Farzaneh Dorri laments the war and the current government of Iran while recollecting the nation’s vast cultural heritage. Molly Joseph’s piece presents the tragedy of war through a clever piece that hides its profundity in a childlike style. Ri Hossain critiques war by showing the absurdity of having to kill strangers. Bill Tope’s short story presents a tragicomic farce that reveals itself as a lament for those lost to the recent Iranian war. Dessy Tsvetkova joins the chorus of those who call for peace as Hadaa Sendoo presents a child’s song for peace with nature and with themselves as well as in the world. Gulhayo Egamberganova creates a tale of a wise king with the welfare of his people in mind. Dianne Reeves Angel’s political poem describes how callous leadership can lead to internal, structural damage to our shared “house,” even when we don’t see outright collapse. Yuray Tolentino Hevia asserts his freedom of thought and personal dignity even in a wounded homeland. Imma Schiema presents the flag of peace as strong, but stiff, unnatural, and difficult to maintain. Peace takes maintenance and care.

Some contributors explore how systems of power, or our cultural vantage points and perceptions, shape how we think and view the world. Rich Murphy’s work explores how power and hierarchy can distort reality and get in the way of critical thinking. Dr. Jernail Singh Anand lampoons the hypocrisy of those who seek to bury their own misdeeds among those of celebrities. Stephen Schwei’s clever work meditates on how we assign meanings to things and aspects of the universe. Wan Yilong dramatizes the absurdity of a world full of technology but with no soul. Mark Young’s speaker assembles meaning from fractured cultural debris, his mind moving through fragments. Ag Davis’ poetry blurs the guidelines of semantics to generate meaning through pattern recognition rather than text. S.C. Flynn explores different ways we disconnect from the fully intense human experience to make it more manageable, whether through pills or screens.

Türkan Ergör’s piece breaks apart language and puts it back together, questioning whether reason can adequately explain human experience. Maja Milojkovic explores the tension between imagination and reality in her reflective poem on making a wish. Mark DuCharme’s poem explores thirst and desire that twists and morphs but is never quite satiated. J.J. Campbell’s poems read like cigarette smoke in a dim room, unfiltered, bitter, and honest. Patrick Sweeney’s work explores memory, shame, art, invention, nature, and tenderness as the Chinese elementary school students’ works, compiled by Su Yun, show a developing poetic consciousness as they address nature and dreams.

Dr. Jernail S. Anand considers how much we as humans project our own failings onto other creatures through our concept of natural law. Sevinch Rustamova explores human projection, lamenting the loss of a no longer idealized unfaithful love. James Tian reflects on how we choose to speak of our dead can say as much about us as the living as it does about the deceased. Nirasha D’Almeida speaks to memory, reflection, power, and class and ethnic tensions. In Emeniano Acain Somoza Jr.’s elegiac poem, time continues to move, even as the speaker remains within memory. Sheryl Bize-Boutte’s poem and short story excerpt highlight how connection can persist even when we reject it. Qo’narova Yulduz mourns and regrets the loss of her loved one and of her life to grief.

Some writers highlight resilience and personal growth, the journey to become who we are, all that we could become. Nazokat Jumaniyozova traces a character’s personal growth and development. Danijela Ćuk encourages people to believe in themselves and persevere through hard times. Zilola Qutlimurotva calls out the role of challenges in building strong character. Priyanka Neogi urges people who seek to achieve something in life to keep their priorities straight. Ruxshona Shahobiddinova shares how she learned to achieve for her own sake and not compare herself to others. Rashidova Shakhrizoda’s short story celebrates a brave kitten who becomes a hero of the forest. Muslimbek Abdurakhimov reminds us that anyone can act with integrity, regardless of nationality. Zilola Qutlimurotva points out reactions one may receive to developing self-respect. Juraeva Aziza Rakhmatovna urges people to persevere towards their goals even through obstacles. Gabriel T. Saah encourages us to stay humble, stay kind and make the most of our lives.

Others discuss education, youth, and the future. Rakhmonova Gulzoda Sodiq qizi discusses how to help depressed young students. Daminova Sevinch highlights the importance of childhood to personal development. Choriyeva Oynur discusses the importance of sleep in personal health and academic performance. Dildora Xo’jyozova remembers earning recognition and a laptop in an Uzbek academic competition and reflects on the importance of encouraging the world’s youth. Ibragimova Orzigul Sharobiddinova’s poem celebrates her university and its educational opportunities. Alimqulova Munisa Abdurayimovna discusses how students can best prepare themselves for international scholarship competition. Bekturdiyeva Nargizabonu and Xayitova Mehribon discuss positive and negative impacts of social media in young people’s lives.

Several contributors apply their intellects to the real world, science, mathematics, economics, and medicine. Oroqova Nargiza outlines roles for artificial intelligence in health care. Tadjiboyeva Marxaboxon Sherzodbek qizi discusses diagnosis and treatment of chronic heart failure. Inomova Kamola discusses diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Durdona Shafqatullayeva Olimqizi outlines the structure and function of the human skeleton. Dr. Jitender Singh dispels embarrassment and shame surrounding menstruation and promotes hygiene. Sardorjon Ahmadjon o’g’li Ergashev discusses various ways of analyzing and interpreting statistics. Mamatkulova Muklisa outlines opportunities and risks within the maturing microcredit industry. Tuychiyeva Odinaxon Ahmadjon qizi outlines ways to standardize the preparation of graphical documents in school drafting classes.

Who we are, in large part, comes from our family and cultural heritage. Yulduz Niyazova highlights the history and meaning of Uzbekistan’s Nawruz spring celebration. Jacques Fleury’s photographs capture the spirit and energy of Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Sardorjon Nabiyev remembers a tale of singing for neighbors at Ramadan that ended with his father’s tender love. Begijonova Marjonabonu shares a tender thought for her mother. Eshmatova Charos speaks of her gratitude to her caring mother and father. Turg’unov Alisher Yordamali o’g’li expresses his respect for his hardworking mother. Ahmadov Bekzodjon Obidjon ogli highlights the literary and cultural importance of Uzbek writer and philosopher Chol’pon. Damilova Sevinch Tuychi qizi highlights the cultural and dramatic contributions of historical Uzbek writer Abdulla Avloni. Halilova Ruxshona Abdufattohovna provides an overview of the scientific work of Abu Nasr al-Farabi, an Uzbek thinker who espoused rational inquiry and built upon Greek thought. Sottiyeva Gulshan celebrates the Uzbek constitution’s protections of liberty. Marvaridabonu Abdumalikov discusses Uzbekistan’s current environmental initiatives, including a vast program to plant tree seedlings and civic waste sorting and recycling efforts. Otamurodova Asal highlights the role of strong families in building a strong culture in Uzbekistan. Kholbekov Ozodbek Makhammatovich’s poem celebrates the sacred and worthy heritage of Uzbekistan’s national heroes and scholars.

Sitora Siroj qizi Usmonova looks at the use of emojis in text messages and social media as a case study of Uzbek linguistic evolution in real time. Jerome Berglund’s stream of consciousness poems illuminate how things hidden – people, truth, meaning – don’t disappear, but wait to be seen. Joey Whitton’s poems move across very different terrains, such as mysticism, memory, existential philosophy, and political satire, but they’re unified by a restless, searching voice. Alan Catlin builds a poetic cathedral of collapse, a symphonic logic of accumulation. Duane Vorhees contributes a symphony of voices that find a way to hang together.

Art, literature, and culture are integral parts of our heritage, and many people look into how we understand stories and art. Christopher Bernard discusses poignant themes of masculinity, love, aggression, and redemption in Beauty and the Beast and the somewhat awkward presentation in Opera Parallele’s live stage remix of the Jean Cocteau film. Maxmasharifova Shodiyabegim looks at the theme of fear in Abdulla Qahhor’s short story Dakshat as a way of critiquing governmental and social oppression. Abdugʻaniyeva Muhlisa Abdunabi qizi analyzes Jack London’s winter wilderness survival tale Love of Life in terms of literary motifs and themes of free will and individual struggle in harsh conditions. J.T. Whitehead reviews Margaret Randall’s Letters That Breathe Fire, an anthology of literary correspondence among the editors who submitted to the journal El Corno Emplumado (The Plumed Horn) in the 1960s. He views the work as a crucial cultural artifact documenting poetry’s becoming more democratic and international. Alexander Klujev outlines various ways to understand music: as a venue for spiritual contemplation, as an abstract study in sound, or as direct participation in the sounds and rhythms of nature. Dennis Vannatta reflects on a life shaped and punctuated by music. Virginia Aronson celebrates the complex work and life of Japanese visual artist Yayoi Kusama.

Art and culture can lead us to a lyrical, restorative place, where we consider love, nature, and the human spirit. Eva Lianou Petropoulou affirms the largeness and vastness of the human spirit, much larger than any attempt by society to contain it. JoyAnne O’Donnell takes joy in poetry on World Poetry Day. Eva also urges humans not to abandon empathy for and relationships with each other. Slava Božičevic celebrates poetry and encourages poets to write to bring love into the world. Prasanna Kumar’s poetry reflects how he needs love to make sense of existence. Abigail George’s work shows characters choosing love, kindness, and forgiveness, even when they are not strong enough to stop trauma and violence. Mahbub Alam contributes a piece on waiting, restraint, and the persistence of the inner light of love as Su Yun encourages a young child to grow and develop courage and embrace a world of love.

Genevieve Guevara presents a poetic manifesto about ending violence against women. Sherdonayeva Ozoda Mahmarajab qizi’s short story highlights the obstacles facing women leaving abusive relationships. Lan Xin also honors International Women’s Day, softly and gently urging women to value and take care of themselves. Mahmoud Said Kawash outlines the political and cultural history of International Women’s Day. Dr. Jitender Singh celebrates the virtues of many women he admires. Dr. Ahmed Al-Qaisi evokes the poetic beauty of a woman’s tender love. Tasneem Hossain discusses the historical and cultural meanings of flowers as gifts and urges people to consider flowers as an International Women’s Day gift for women.

Brian Barbeito revels in the mystical and thoughtful connection he has built with the land he regularly visits, how time alone in nature invites contemplation. Adham Boghdady celebrates the beauty of a forest lake through his contemplative persona poem. Soumen Roy rejoices with the hope of a fresh spring season. Ananya Guha’s incantatory poem claws out hope from the starkness of winter.

Sometimes a small sensation, image, or moment counts for everything. Mohira Mirzayeva celebrates the joys of silent reading from a physical book. Bonu Jurayeva reminds us of the sensory pleasures of physical books. Noah Berlatsky celebrates the wealth of love that he finds in his affectionate cat and dog. David Sapp contributes gentle, pensive moments of family and domesticity. Christina Chin’s haikus transport us to the sounds and feel of summer. Tammy Higgins’ photographs present life as surprising, highlighting disparate elements and unusual colors and perspectives. Jacques Fleury’s poem travels between the worlds of belonging and isolation, wealth and poverty, anchored by the recurring image of ships. Nuraini Usman’s photos capture moments of mystery: dim light, and a foot stepping into the unknown. In Sayani Mukherjee’s poem, rain, letters, memory, and love all blend together into one immersive experience. Graciela Noemi Villaverde welcomes the autumn to her Argentinian home with lush, atmospheric prose about transitions. Elaine Murray finds connection across millennia with humans and other creatures who have walked the same beach.

The final pieces return us to the act of creation itself. They ask what responsibility the artist bears in a world marked by injustice and fragmentation. If we can imagine, can we also rebuild? If we can name what is broken, can we help to mend it? These are not questions with easy answers, but they are questions that must be asked.

Christopher Bernard’s final installment of Senor Despair ends with an affirmation of a creator’s radical responsibility. Jose Luis Alderete’s work suggests the possibility of rebuilding society through intentional acts of human creativity. Tokhtaboyeva Nilufar Nomonjon qizi urges her fellow Uzbeks to move forward with courage to build up their newly independent country. Mesfakus Salahin speaks to the hope of global renewal through love and insight. Hanaan Abdelkader affirms her determination to find hope in a world full of injustice, yet leafy and sunlit.

What emerges from this collection is not resolution, but recognition. We hope that you recognize yourselves somewhere in the issue.

Flight of Bones

The spell of the red flowers
in the nursery seeds planted
in World War Two Japan
in the afternoon shadow
of the Japanese Alps
in the personality shade
of a troubled family
a berating mother
sending the child to spy
on the playboy father
sexual obsession and fear
sitting side by side by
the smooth white river
stones, flowers speaking

of the war lingering
in the blackout factory
thinking of hanging
herself throwing herself
in front of a train
a shrink called her
a genius helped her
gain recognition
planning her escape
from self-obliteration
from endless revolving
in the infinity nets
the absoluteness
of reality
and unreality
a proliferation
of talking pumpkins
only to be reduced
to nothingness.

Yayoi Kusama grew up in a small mountain town west of Tokyo in a wealthy, high society family, owners of successful wholesale seed nurseries. As a child she had asthma and a partial hearing loss, and she suffered from hallucinations and periods of depersonalization. Her domineering mother forced her to spy on her father and his geishas, ripped up her artwork and tried to marry her off.

Infinity Nets

Out in the purple fields
of flowering spring
the blossoms sprung
tiny individual faces
opened pistil mouths
to her, to the child
the violets spoke
chasing her back
to her mother’s house
of anger, fighting
and a pencil, paper
the art supplies
her father gave
her only escape.

Her spirit floated
from her little body
wandering the border
between life and death
a thin curtain of gray
like a personal cloud
shadowing the  girl
the young woman
bent over body
drawing, sketching
painting, creating
in a wild fever
born of desperation
reproducing endlessly
on the conveyor belt
to infinity, net
cast over her
life, art
her creed.

Paintbrush in hand
imagination overdrive
obsessions crawling
mind and body
working herself
away from madness
on an endless highway
of fear and visions
fleeing hallucinations
seeking obliteration
following the flowers
following red thread
on the path
to freedom
allowing her
to live.

Yayoi’s art has been called feminist. It’s been labeled pathological art brut, or outsider art. She doesn’t think it fits any category. She mixes East with West, realism with surrealism, hallucinations with humor and pathos. Her work is eclectic and electric and eccentric. It is her own, unique. 

The Scandal Queen of Japan

“Ultimately, behind the impulse to fight is the simple fact that men have penises.”

Soft-sculpture figures
by the boatload
the couch load
the chair load
furniture obsessions
macaroni mannequins
overcoming fear
machine-made
naked polka dots
all the way
to her studio
across the street
her permanent residence
a psychiatric ward.

If it were not for art
I would have killed myself
a long time ago
before global fame
before legions of fans
her alter-ego pumpkin
black spots on a pier
of plastic and I’m here
but nothing
in Tokyo infinity
in mirrored rooms
dancing lights fly up
to the super-reality
to the unclothed universe
all together
in the altogether
the dissolution of self
via immersive obsessions
repetitions and intrusions
transporting us too
to another cosmos.

In the midst of the mid-century avant-garde art revolution, Kusama’s large scale paintings of nets and polka dots caught on. Critics called her work obsessional, austere, disturbing, and a tour de force. She expanded her work to include political theater, fashion design, and body art. Her clothes were sold in Bloomingdale’s, and she appeared on The Tonight Show. But in Japan she was a national disgrace and her family shamed.

Fire Burning in the Abyss

The Manhattan suicide addict
starving, suffering
the vertigo of nothingness
crawling into cold hands
no heat, no bed, no money
the downtown den of resistance
a shimmering veil across reality
fate like a chorus of violets
launching her like a moonshot
into the bright eye of acclaim
crowds at galleries, museums
drawn to her strange beauty
blending personal revelations
bare-faced self-promotions
branding the self as product
art as fiery weapon:
Go live your shining life.

Back home in Japan
the castle of shed tears
a studio down the street
from the stark white room
at the soft sculpt loony bin
in the moon dot aftermath
of obliteration
of eternity
the world’s
most successful
living artist
transcending
female Asian identity
art genres and cataloging
unnecessary boundaries
barriers and structures
dancing swarms of fireflies
fly up and out
of this universe
showing the route
to full happiness
to spending
everyday
every day
embracing red flowers.

Yayoi believed that Japan had ostracized her for her mental illness. But she returned there after 17 years in the U.S, famous and successful and so ill she chose to live in an open ward of a Tokyo mental hospital for her own safety. In the 2000s, she collaborated with several brands to share her style including polka dot Cokes and pumpkin-like BMW Minis. She continues to create at age 97 and traveling retrospectives of her work still draw massive crowds.

The Belfry of St. Vincent Ferrer

My heart bursts into a flock of ricebirds

Each time I hear its tolling; for years

I live on the shade of its imposing

Memory – all the running & screaming

& sliding races down the hillsides, firemaking

& pissing contests, toy parades, death by voodoo

Gossip-broker Miss B. & and her rare orchids

Tonio’s mysterious death at the mangrove –

All point me to that church on top of the hill

Overlooking our town wharf that eats

And spits natives & transients alike

Where all the coming and going each

Has its own distinct ring – tintinnabulations

Of open-ended declarations, promises, affairs –

Gangrenous goodbyes on the breast of tears smothered

Or the corrosive taste of briny eyes with every furtive hello.

But time has done nothing to exempt the heart from

The onslaught of raging waves crushing into

Empty shores –like the old bell ringing

Through my ears at Angelus –

Dusk, our favorite time of day

Before you left without that anticipated

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” backward glance.

And bells do not have a memory of tunes 

For awkward silence, silence, silence.

:

Nominated for “Best of the Net 2025” for his poetry, Emeniano Acain Somoza, Jr. considers himself the official spiritual advisor of his roommates, Gordot and Dwight – the first a goldfish, the other a Turkish Van cat. His works have been published in The Poetry Magazine, Moria Poetry Journal, Fogged Clarity, Everyday Poem, Loch Raven Review, The Buddhist Poetry Review, The Philippine Graphic, The Philippines Free Press, Troubadour 21, Full of Crow, Indigo Rising, Asia Writes, Triggerfish Critical Review, Troubadors 21, Gloom Cupboard, TAYO, Haggard & Halloo, and elsewhere. His first book, A Fistful of Moonbeams, was published by Kilmog Press in April 2010. His second, Kleenex Theory, published by Createspace-Amazon, came out in 2015. He is busy anthologizing emptiness and boredom at the moment.

About Wan Yilong 

High-Dimensional Wisdom Mentor / High-Dimensional Spiritual Poet / Inheritor of Dongba Culture  / Master of Traditional Chinese Culture / Great Master of World Multiculturalism /  Donor and Founder, Dean of Yulong Wenbi Dongba Culture Academy / Dean of Aming Gaotu High-Dimensional Wisdom Academy / Philanthropist

Beyond the Firmament

(Homeward Chapter)

Poem By Wan Yilong

Translated By Lan Xin

When the morning star rises in the east

In the starry sky hang countless sorrowful eyes

I open my wisdom eyes and gaze

Beyond the galaxy tears have long been pouring

I whisper to the universe what happened

She unfolds a picture before me

Countless mechs overturn heaven and earth

Countless planets burn with raging war

Myriad races slaughter each other

Billions of lives wither in strife

Ruined walls and fragments turn to glaze

Dead planets only cold iron shadows remain

Surviving star people struggle to forage in black water

All I see is rotten bones

Hungry rushing here and there

Mutated beasts no longer fit to eat

They hunt in packs spread plague

Despair spreads silently in the dust

Desperate beings pray to heaven

A voice echoes slowly

We have stored food

When rows of dark caves are opened

Out step

Men women and children in swaddling clothes

All gasp in astonishment is this our food

The voice replies

They are our clones

I close my eyes in sorrow

The universe whispers admonition

All beings must awake

Every life is a child of the universe

Every soul yearns for ascension

Dark technology will eventually turn on itself

Cold power only destroys life

We are all brothers born of the same womb

Without love there is no universe

Without compassion even destruction cannot be reborn

Love and compassion are the eternal themes of the universe

With this thought even in purgatory

We can be reborn

That scene is the universe’s past

And also the mirror of the future

Mother universe is calling out

Wake up

Greed confuses the eyes

Souls sink in delusion

Love and hate are self-imposed barriers

Greed anger delusion are the cages of the heart

Every planet can be a cage for the heart

Everybody can be a dojo for awakening

Look within you are complete

Every soul yearns for light

Compassion can break the curse of all dark technology

Souls will ultimately live forever at the source of the universe

The ultimate civilization of the world is about to begin

Its name is universal harmony

We come from eternity rush to this moment

Only to wake up the sleeping beings

Live in the present change the past determine the future

The past and the future are but a single thought

I wake slowly from meditation

The morning sun illuminates the mountains and rivers and every heart

From now on I have no choice but to move forward

This is my fate

Is also your fate

And even more the common fate of all beings

Technology must ultimately serve the ascension of souls

Footnote

Taking homecoming as its central metaphor, this poem lays bare the absurdity and spiritual awakening of an age dominated by technology. Mechs and warfare, cloning and alienation unfold in layered progression, striking straight to the spiritual predicament of modern society. Breaking free from linear narrative, it employs vivid visual metaphors and interior monologue to explore the eternal themes of love and redemption, selfhood and the mirrored self. The fate and awakening revealed at its close represent the homecoming not only of the individual, but of all sentient beings.

Note on this poem’s process, from poet AG Davis:
Gathering info/data then intuitively applying to matrices that intertwine and reconfigure yet relate on multiple levels of dimensionality. however, these matrices can be read linearly, or reinforced in any manner the reader chooses: my theory is that there should be at the very least resonance/or purely mental vibrance with the words themselves; that although not direct sometimes in apparent semantic content, there is still some para-semantic content, or ur-semantic content that will ‘stick” to make a ”meaning” ”ravel”. 

Poem

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-light

Left Alone

He was left

alone

never knowing

his mother and father

growing up

in the overhang

of dark dreams

like so many others

not understanding

the why

of conflicts

and war after war

killing

the tree

the sea

and the sky

above babies.

Stone Flower

Almost

a stone flower

lit by sun and moon

she is

almost

unfeeling

her heart

breaking

waiting

for someone

with the touch of love.

Shock Treatment

Shock treatment

no more

wars

on earth

or beyond.

Uzbek State World Language University, Faculty of English Philology, 2nd-year student

The Role of Sleep in Academic Performance

Choriyeva Oynur

Uzbek State World Languages University, Faculty of English Philology

2nd-year Student

Abstract

This article examines the important role of sleep in academic performance. It demonstrates how adequate and quality sleep can enhance memory, improve focus and concentration, and support cognitive functions such as problem-solving and critical thinking. It also highlights that insufficient sleep can reduce memory recall, decrease attention, worsen academic performance, lower grades, and reduce productivity. The purpose of this article is to emphasize the importance of obtaining sufficient, regular, and high-quality sleep for effective studying.

Keywords: sleep, academic performance, memory, attention, cognitive functions, reading, productivity, student health, effective studying, overall quality of life

Introduction

Sleep plays a vital role in student health and academic success. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health, adequate sleep is essential for physical health, mental clarity, and overall quality of life, especially for young people. During Student Sleep Health Week, the Indian Board of Education provides resources and recommendations on the relationship between deep sleep and success.

The CDC emphasizes that sleep is crucial for memory consolidation, learning, and cognitive functioning. Students who do not get enough sleep struggle with concentration, problem-solving, and remembering information. This can negatively affect their academic results, lower their grades, and reduce productivity.

Leslie L. Crow, a licensed professional counselor and specialist in BIE’s Student Behavioral Health Program, notes that sleep significantly impacts students’ academic and athletic performance.

“Healthy sleep habits greatly affect the mental and physical health of children and adults,” Crow states. “Sleep influences our emotions, stress management, and overall well-being.”

Main Body

Sleep is essential for cognitive functions as well as overall physical and mental health. According to the CDC, insufficient sleep is associated with increased risks of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. For students, lack of sleep can lead to reduced energy levels and greater susceptibility to illness, preventing full participation in academic and extracurricular activities.

The two most common consequences of insufficient sleep are decreased focus and impaired memory. These effects are not only harmful individually but also compound each other. Lack of focus results in incomplete information retention, which is further compounded by inadequate neural connections formed during learning.

Insufficient sleep can reduce both short-term and long-term memory. Short-term memory retains information briefly, such as remembering someone’s name upon meeting them or recalling the last few words on a fast-changing PowerPoint slide. Long-term memory involves retaining information for hours, days, months, or longer, such as remembering due dates or recalling past events. Students struggling with sleep-related stress over classes may benefit from seeking tutoring to improve mastery of the subject.

Leslie L. Crow emphasizes the importance of understanding recommended sleep durations for different age groups. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night, while younger school-aged children require approximately 9 to 11 hours within 24 hours. Crow notes that many behavioral and mental health issues, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, and difficulties in emotional regulation, may be partially or entirely caused by sleep disorders.

To address these challenges, the CDC recommends maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends, to regulate internal biological clocks. Additionally, creating a sleep-friendly environment—keeping the bedroom dark, quiet, and cool—can significantly enhance sleep quality.

Crow also provides practical tips to improve sleep:

Go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time every day.

Maintain a consistent bedtime routine.

Use the bed only for sleep.

Spend time outdoors to get sunlight and engage in physical activity.

Avoid screen time before bedtime.

Model healthy sleep habits for students.

Consult a medical professional if sleep problems persist.

By prioritizing sleep, students can improve academic performance, enhance physical and mental well-being, and establish habits that contribute to long-term success. Student Sleep Health Week serves as a vital reminder that adequate sleep is not a luxury—it is a necessity.

Conclusion

There are multiple ways to measure the relationship between sleep and academic performance. Much of the earlier research focused on sleep duration and sleep quality, with mixed results. These measures have limitations—sleep duration is usually self-reported, and sleep quality is subjective. Recently, novel measures of sleep have emerged. The timing and consistency of sleep may have the greatest impact on academic performance.

References

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352721815000157⁠�

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079216000228⁠�

South Eastern European Journal of Public Health, April 2025

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