Synchronized Chaos Second March Issue: One Wild and Precious Life

Painting of brown horses unsaddled and running by themselves in a field with grass and white flowers and some clouds and blue sky. One horse faces to the right and has some white on their coat.
Photo c/o Karen Arnold

We are hosting our Metamorphosis gathering again! This is a chance for people to share music, art, and writing and to dialogue across different generations (hence the name, the concept of ideas morphing and changing over the years). This event is also a benefit for the grassroots Afghan women-led group RAWA, which is organized by women in Afghanistan who are currently supporting educational and income generation and literacy projects in their home county as well as assisting earthquake survivors. (We don’t charge or process the cash, you are free to donate online on your own and then attend!)

This will be Saturday April 6th, 2-4 pm in the fellowship hall of Davis Lutheran Church at 317 East 8th Street in Davis, California. It’s a nonreligious event open to all, the church has graciously allowed us to use the meeting room. You may sign up here on Eventbrite.

Also, we encourage everyone in the California area to attend the third annual Hayward Lit Hop on Saturday, April 27th. This is a public festival with different readings from different groups throughout downtown Hayward coinciding with Hayward’s choosing a new adult poet laureate, culminating in an afterparty at Hayward’s Odd Fellows Lounge. Several Synchronized Chaos contributors will read from their work at the 2024 Lit Hop.

Now for our second March issue: One Wild and Precious Life. Poet Mary Oliver said, “Tell me what it is that you plan to do, with your one wild and precious life!” In that spirit, this month’s contributors wonder and dream and fear and love and plan, all in the face of human mortality.

Photo of a lone wolf on top a rock outcropping on a cloudy night illuminated by a full moon.
Photo c/o Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan

Susie Gharib comments on the tragedy and transience of life on Earth, while Duane Vorhees ponders the weight and influence of human ambition and history on an individual’s life.

Jacques Fleury celebrates Black history and encourages respectful and nuanced portrayals of Black people in media.

Gulyaho Karimova’s essay outlines the life and legacy of Jaloliddin Manguberdi, patriotic Turkish hero from centuries in the past. Z.I. Mahmud looks to the past and the influence of a single person in his essay on Walt Whitman’s elegy to Abraham Lincoln. Muntasir Mamun Kiron rhapsodizes in his poetry about Bangabandhu, the military and political leader considered the father of modern Bangladesh.

Xushroy Abdunazarova’s poem concerns the beauty of the Uzbek language while Adhamova Laylo discusses the structure of the Korean alphabet. Sarvinoz Mamadaliyeva urges support for the education of women and girls. Zulaykho Kosimjonova outlines strategies to improve students’ reading comprehension while Malika Oydinova compares the advantages of distance versus in person learning. Bill Tope reminds us of the value of free access to information in his protest story about book bans and censorship while Faleeha Hassan highlights the power of writing and creativity in her narrative prose poem on the cataclysmic effects of writers’ block on her imagined worlds.

Old books with fraying clovers, mostly brown and black and red, standing straight. The last three lean up against the others.
Image c/o Petr Kratochvil

Xabibullayeva Madina writes of the elegance of her Uzbek heritage, spring, and femininity. Graciela Noemi Villaverde illuminates the wonder, beauty, and strength of women. Annie Johnson celebrates romantic love and the divine feminine archetype as grounded in nature and culture.

Brian Barbeito speaks to the timelessness and mystical quality of natural landscapes and our place in them. Sayani Mukherjee describes how thoughts align in her brain like a choir or a forest of trees. Umid Qodir’s poem urges people to have the courage of a flower in the rain, while Maja Milojkovic compares committed love to a flower continually receiving needed water from nature. Christopher Bernard compares a graceful female dancer to a fountain of water. M.P. Pratheesh’s concrete photographic poems illustrate red rocks lined up and covered to varying degrees. Kristy Raines writes of the return of spring, spirituality, compassion, and lost love with a sensitive spirit. Mahbub Alam writes of swimming at dawn with a beloved, immersing himself in water and his tender feelings. His daughter Monira Mahbub crafts gentle scenes of village life and connection among people. Maurizio Brancaleoni contributes clever haikus on winter cold and human nature.

Mykyta Ryzhykh also speaks to human nature, with lonely modern, or post-modern pilgrims wandering alone, wondering who they are and what they are looking for in life. Our prophet of lonely wanderings, J.J. Campbell, returns with pieces on the joy and precarity of romantic and family relationships, conveying the lostness he felt with his family of origin.

Nathan Anderson addresses questions of human nature in an even less linear manner, playing with punctuation and spacing of letters on the page. Mark Young renders images from his neighborhood into mixed media art images, providing a unique way of seeing things where reality melds with imagination. Clive Gresswell, in his new book Shadow Reel, reviewed by Cristina Deptula, explores our unconscious, how ideas and words continue to resonate in our brains past the point of linear thinking.

Lantern and watch on the left next to a book open to a page with Arabic script. Prayer beads hang above the book.
Image c/o Adek Saputra

A. Iwasa provides a comical essay about his encounters with dopplegangers. J.D. Nelson’s haiku presents encounters with the unexpected: minor mishaps, strange combinations, reunions. Grant Guy’s concrete poems about surrealist artist Alfred Garry evoke the whimsical nature of his work and the tragedy of his short life.

Mesfakus Salahin ponders how he will prepare to meet the implacable force of death, while Jerry Langdon sings the blues for a soul doomed to damnation.

Ivan de Monbrison describes physical and mental pain as a force mangling the brain and body, permeating our structural integrity and the wholeness of our relationships with each other.

Taylor Dibbert reflects on the end of a relationship while Bill Tope relates the tale of a lonely woman who feels rejected in love and commits suicide. Farangiz Murodova’s breakup poem provides an elegant rendering of loneliness.

Two women, one in the foreground facing forward with long dark hair, separated by a screen door from another one in a red sweater and blue jeans.
Image c/o Rajesh Misra

Zebo Ibragimova writes of the global scourge of drug addiction and the many lives affected. Pat Doyne speaks to questions of personhood and government authority in her poem satirizing a recent American court decision concerning in vitro fertilization. Emina Delilovic-Kevric evokes images of civilians oppressed by German military forces in a piece about the mental toll of society’s inhumanity.

Meanwhile, in a more abstract vein, Clive Gresswell crafts surreal images of invasion, decay and destruction.

Noah Berlatsky sends up a poem about the daily matters of life, such as breakfast, which continue even when our lives are in chaos. Wazed Abdullah compares the journey of life to a piece of music, to be experienced in all its different stages and moods.

Ezoza Eshonkulova’s piece personifies a clock and reflects on the passing of time. Dildora Toshtemirova’s two essays concern finding the courage to go live your dreams through determination and hard work and making the most of your time. Nosirova Gavhar expresses her wish that her fellow young people would achieve their goals.

Sherbekjon Salomov writes of the future potential of youth in Uzbekistan. Isabel Gomez de Diego revels in the beauty of a children’s playground in her photography.

Red and black and white paint on a wall covered by various random graffiti. Center text, white on black, reads "I wish you all love, even if you are my worst enemy."
Photo c/o Haanala 76

In her literary essay on Tolstoy, Ravshanbekova Asalkhon discusses the author’s deep empathy for the poor and downtrodden. In Mashhura Umaraliyeva’s story, simple human kindness helps a girl lonely at summer camp. Sarvara Sindarkulova speaks to the importance of respect for parents. Muhammed Sinan describes his quest for goodness and compassion and Anila Bukhari’s poems reflect a deep faith and tender compassion for the human condition.

Ahmad Al-Khatat writes of learning from fellow immigrants how to move from fear to dreaming and hope, while Ellie Ness addresses the precarity and joy of travel.

John Edward Culp describes an easy camaraderie between two people while Nasser Al Shaikh Ahmed evokes romantic love with creative and lush poetic imagery. Elmaya Jabbarova evokes a sense of wonder and mystery about human relationships in her mystical piece. Stephen Jarrell Williams’ playful pieces express hope for softness and beauty and lasting love. An actual couple who met in a writing workshop, Ubali Ibrahim Hashimu and Maryam Yakubu, send up a gentle collaborative love poem as Daniel De Culla gives an earthy reflection on a romance.

Eva Petropolou speaks of seeking love and human connection, more family love and general compassion than romance. Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa writes of respect and empowerment for women and also crafts a tale of an eccentric character finding welcome in a small town.

We hope that you might also find a welcoming home for your own creativity within this issue, with its many poignant, tender, amusing, strident, thoughtful, eccentric, and inspiring pieces.

Paint or colored pencil drawing of people of varying genders and ages and races.
Photo c/o Gerd Altmann

Essay from Xabibullayeva Madina

Central Asian woman with long black hair and brown eyes and lipstick wearing a reddish purple sweater and a black coat. Her hands are folded in front of her.

in my country, as soon as the first days of spring begin, birds sing everywhere. This gives us a sign that spring has come. Spring is the beginning of seasons, the period of awakening. Animals that fall asleep in winter wake up in spring. that is, awakening, the beginning of a new page, the beginning of the road enters the beginning period.

There are three months of spring: March, April, and May. Although they are few, they embody the national holidays of our people. Just as every nation has its own national holiday, we also have holidays that reflect our nationalism. They include March 8, women’s holiday, Nowruz national holiday, and several other holidays. with the arrival of spring, buds begin to emerge from the trees. The hills will be green, and there will be many colors. The waters are overflowing.

The edges of the waters are rich, and mints are beginning to emerge. all areas are cleaned, various flowers are planted, landscaping works begin. Different types of seedlings are planted. Spring holidays are celebrated with great fanfare. Nowruz holiday, which embodies the nationality of our motherland, is a clear example of this. In the spring, the children’s voices reach the sky, because the mountains are going out to pick chuchmoma and bochachak. They play different games. The day and night are equal on the night from the twenty-first to the twenty-second of March of the spring season. From this day, our days will start to get longer. This is God’s gift to us. This is the new day of the Muslim New Year. Our grandfather farmers also slowly pick up their hoes and go to their fields. The lands that could not withstand the wrath of winter are melted and thrown away by the golden rays of the sun. The spring air will be cool. The days are slowly getting warmer. Spring brings love, happiness, and good health to each other, our kind mothers, our graceful women, our lovely sisters, and sweet sugar give beauty and elegance to our little girls.

Imagination is a gift given to a person by God. When a person thinks about something or wants to do something, he first imagines it. He makes it as far as he can imagine it, so that the fat does not pass. Another type of visualization is dreaming. There is a difference between a dream and an imagination. The reason is that to dream is to desire something that one does not have, and to imagine is to imagine something and bring it to life in imagination. Thinking of spring brings peace and dreams to one’s heart. our hearts flutter when we imagine spring.

We think of spring renewal as making new dreams, taking a step forward in life, making new plans. The spring season brings with it a world of news. when you imagine again, the smell of peach blossoms in the fields and tulips in the mountains comes to your eyes. Spring does not escape our imagination. We cannot imagine spring without our national games. Nowruz holiday comes to our mind first. tell us the stories of our grandmothers in it, the history of Nowruz and its origins.

We can’t imagine Navruz without a lot of wrestling, various sayings, and national dances. Nature has given us such blessings for which we should be grateful. we can’t imagine spring without fennel, summer without water, autumn without blueberry, and winter without white flakes. Therefore, let’s imagine the spring in our imagination so that we can see it in practice. I imagine spring. First of all, I see the blossoming of trees, the joy of people around me, the joy of people, the children playing and rejoicing on the hills

I imagine that sumacs are cooked in our dosh pots and shared with everyone, greening works are being carried out in all places, bringing joy to the hearts. I imagine spring, which includes all good deeds. we can’t imagine spring without swallows. The swallow brings a lot of hair.

I liken spring to a new era of rejuvenation and renewal. As soon as spring comes, it starts to spread its blue dress around. the surroundings become more and more beautiful and reflect elegance and sophistication. He is also compared to a bride. Bahar is compared to women again. The reason is that a woman can attract any man who is elegant, refined and demanding. Spring is considered a faiz of fortune-telling. spring season is as patient as the mountains, as strong as women. No matter how windy or rainy it is, it preserves its beauty. It brings the purest thoughts to people’s hearts.

I compare spring to a woman. Our women are certainly strong enough to share all their beauty with their loved ones. These are our women who are crying or laughing at the perfect time. I think spring is a comparison to women.

Among the seasons, spring is distinguished by its elegance, beauty, rejuvenation, and rejuvenation. Again, the spring season is as important to everyone as it is to sow the seeds of goodness in people’s hearts and do good deeds. spring spreads its dowry and excites the hearts of all people. In the spring season, our national holiday Navruz is celebrated. He gives all people the same joy, happiness, kindness, happiness.

In the spring, we all realize our identity once again. it stands out without losing its nationality. With our national dishes, games, and holidays. Spring is the first step of the seasons, the beginning of the road. spring is the flower of the seasons, it gives a special mood to existence. It is distinguished by these aspects. While watching the spring scenery, you involuntarily want to add more beauty to this beauty. it definitely stands out with such beauty. In my opinion, the spring season is distinguished among the seasons by its wealth of nationalism, harmony with beauty, kindness, creation, wounding, elegance and other aspects. there are many, the most important of which is harmony with nationality. You are the solitary queen of the four seasons, you are the end of all beauty

You are the wish of lovers!

Have you ever come back, spring?

You are the dream of the earth and the sky, You are the beginning of my song,

You are the companion of my golden cradle!

Are you coming back, spring? In fact, spring is likened to a bride. The reason is that it is rich in beautiful colors like kelinchak. Another reason is that the courtyards where the bride comes will be clean and tidy. When spring comes, people also collect all their places. Where there is cleanliness and order, blessings always rain. Every poet and poetess write a poem about spring. Every day of spring is a holiday, and every day is full of newness and change. Spring comes first in a white dress like a bride, then it shows itself in various colors. The reason is that almond blossoms are white, while tulips are red and peachy. In the hearts of people, rejuvenation encourages new thoughts. He remembers the name of spring again and again on various holidays. when there are holidays, the health of the sick is reported, the elderly come to see them and perform many other meritorious deeds. That is why it is said that it is the bride of the seasons, the love of love. And they don’t greet the bride for nothing on our holidays

The reason why spring and the bride are compatible is that both of them are symbols of elegance and beauty.

Habibullayeva Madina, a 9th-grade student of school 75 in Chust district. She is a poet, literary critic, entrepreneur and leader. Her articles and stories have been published in foreign magazines. She has published three books Article:”Spring”.

Essay from Dildora Toshtemirova

Young Central Asian girl with curly black hair and a green sweater standing in the corner of a room with wallpaper.
Dildora Toshtemirova

 Time

Time is one of the most valuable things a person has. Spending time on idle things, walking on the street, spending a lot of time on activities such as watching shows is one of the sad cases. Watch the right interesting shows. It is also necessary to go for a walk. But it is necessary to know how to divide their time correctly.

Let’s think about what kind of time we spend for ourselves in a day? Reading a book, traveling or idleness. Which one you do is up to you. their interest is fading. Instead of reading books, instead of learning science, they watch various videos on “Tik-Tok”, “Instagram”, “Youtobe” and other social networks and play games. He likes to play. Go out on the street and look around. You will see what kind of situations you see. Young people are walking on the street for nothing, talking with bad words, not being able to get off the phone, etc. Think about what their future will be like.

If every person does not act for himself, if he does not work on himself, it is useless to create conditions for them. You know, we see on television and social networks. In some foreign countries, people are sitting hungry, homeless and young people. They are dying of hunger and disease. You can also briefly call these young people who are not grateful as “ungrateful”.

Dear compatriots, my peers, I don’t want to teach you wisdom or touch your heart. I just want to tell you to allocate your time correctly and not have regrets. Please, dear ones, learn science in your time! Don’t regret it later.

Toshtemirova Dildora was born in Uzbekistan in 2008. School student.

Essay from Dildora Toshtemirova

Young Central Asian girl, face closeup, dark straight hair, brown eyes, a freckle, and a pink shirt.
Dildora Toshtemirova

Dreams definitely come true

You know that we always dream, but these dreams may or may not come true. Whether our dreams come true or not is in our hands. We should always try because a person who can dream can certainly act.

The strongest people are those who take steps towards their dreams, do not listen to what people say, and have their own opinions. People whose dreams do not come true are the weakest and most unlucky people, because they do not take steps towards their dreams, they just live and dream.

Dreams come true sometimes quickly, sometimes more slowly, some of our dreams even take years to come true. There is a reason why our dreams come true late. The most important thing is that we should not stop.

Why do so many people fail in the pursuit of their dreams or stop halfway to their dreams? The reason for this is their lack of will, they realize their dreams in part and they say that I did it and it will happen to me. But people who think like that have made a big mistake.

You know that the first step taken to make dreams come true can be difficult, but the end will be very beautiful. The main thing is to believe in yourself. Promise yourself that “I will definitely make my dreams come true.” Overcome all difficulties on the way to your dreams, never take a step back. You can certainly make your dreams come true.

Do not forget that your dreams will come true, the main thing is not to make the above mistakes. I repeat once again, dreams will definitely come true!

Toshtemirova Dildora Hakim qizi was born in Uzbekistan in 2008. She is a school student. 

Story from Mashhura Umaraliyeva

Young Central Asian girl with dark hair put up on her head, brown eyes, earrings, and a blue vest over a lacy white top and a blue tie.
Mashhura Umaraliyeva

In the Summer..

In the summer, Munisa went to a 2-week camp. Her first week at camp was great. At the end of the 2nd week, she began to miss his mother and home. There were many students in the camp. The last day at the camp was planned to be spent in nature. Munisa did not want to go for a walk. She wanted to cry for some reason.

Sometimes he says Munisa has a heart, sometimes she says don’t go. When he didn’t know what to do, a beautiful girl of 7-8 years who came to rest like Munisa suddenly came to her.


––Hello, sister, she said and sat down on Munisa’s couch with her legs stretched out. Munisa did not want to talk to anyone. But for some reason, wanting to talk to her, she simply said:


–– Hi  
––Why are you upset? –– said the little girl, and a warm conversation began.
––Just
––Did you hear that we are going to have a picnic?
––Yes, you will go. what is your name
–– Gulinur. don’t you go for a walk?  
––…
––Please go, I’m scared myself.
––Oh, what about the others?
––  No, they are not like my mother. And you look like my mother. Your name is also Munisa.. My mother is also Munisa.
Munisa hugged Gulinur and


—You are a little angel,-she said.
Gulinur looked at Munisa and
—My mother is dead,-she said.
Munisa hugged Gulinur tightly. For some reason, she remembered her mother’s rosy face.
The next day, Munisa went for a walk holding Gulinur’s arm…

Essay from Ravshanbekova Asalkhon

Young Central Asian woman with straight black hair and brown eyes and a white collared shirt.
Ravshanbekova Asalkhon

After a while, I returned to reading Dostoyevsky again. It’s been a long time. It seems that it has been three years since I read his last work, The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoyevsky’s first work was called “The Poor”. It can also be translated as “poor people”. Throughout his life, he revealed the psychology of the poor better than anyone else in all his works. His characters are not simple, but poor people with extremely high feelings. They are at the same time superior to the rest, and at the same time forced to live a miserable life. Dostoevsky’s philosophy can be described as “humiliated virtue”.

The hero of the story-writer in the work is also a person whose noble feelings are not appreciated, who has not seen the respect he deserves, and is humiliated. Therefore, when he gets money, he wants to increase it, even if it is in a way that people condemn, and he wants to live far away from these people and, most importantly, without hating them. The most beautiful dream for a man, close to human nature, is this: “…to buy land in the outskirts and spend the rest of my life in the mountains, in the vineyards, most importantly – far from you, but without keeping a cake for you, with the highest goal in my heart, with the woman I love from the heart , God willing, to live with my family, without sparing my help from neighbors…”

A young man with this intention is usually looking for a life partner. If he finds it, he will fall in love with it and be ready to throw everything at his feet. There is a difference between the love of young men who wash their hands from society and those who are trying to achieve status in society. For a young man who is envious of property, prestige, and career, a wife is a part of his life, and certain functions are assigned to her. For a young man disillusioned with society, love is at the center of his life.

Masuma’s personality is gradually revealed from such male language. She is 16 years old and like most girls her age, she is stubborn. He tries to “prepare, shape, defeat” him. That was the mistake. Pure and intelligent at the same time; has both high feelings and experienced humiliations; stubborn nature; mentally unstable; it weighs on a teenage girl whose personality is not yet fully formed. The whole work is built on the short life and mental instability of these two characters. Small conclusions can be drawn from the work, but there is no overall idea. In this case, Dostoyevsky did not pour out everything as in his great works, he did not aim for such a big goal, he just depicted two poor people.

Essay from Zebo Ibragimova

Central Asian teen girl in a photo angled to the right. She has long thick dark black hair and brown eyes.
Zebo Ibragimova

Drug addiction is a significant, global problem worldwide

     According to the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 7, 1987 (No. 42/112), “June 26 – International Day of Combating Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” is celebrated worldwide every year.

       Since this day, the people of the world have united in the fight against the epidemic of drug addiction, the reason why drug addiction is one of the main problems of the world society and is a dangerous factor in our time. Every year on the 26th of June, various agreements are signed between the countries to limit the sale of narcotic substances and not to cultivate them.

       In February 1909, representatives of 13 countries gathered in Shanghai to fight against the cultivation of narcotic drugs in Asia and established the Shanghai Commission. Reading such information, we are convinced that drug addiction is a global problem.

       In addition, more than 500 million people are infected with this disease in the world, and these indicators continue to grow. Most of them are under 30 years old. As a result, more than 211,000 people die prematurely every year. The average age of people who die from drug addiction in Europe is 35 years. According to experts, 1.6 million people contracted AIDS as a result of drug use, 1.2 million people were diagnosed with hepatitis B virus, and 7.2 million people were infected with hepatitis C virus. At the same time, 57 percent of crimes committed in the world are committed by drug addicts.

    Therefore, in order to strengthen the fight against drug addiction, the UN Conventions “On Narcotic Substances”, “Psychotropic Substances” and “Conventions on Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances”, and in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 1999 “On narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances” law was adopted.

   Measures are always being taken to eliminate this global problem, illegal consumption and circulation of psychotropic substances. However,  have we ever thought about why people become “captives” of such narcotic and psychotropic substances?

   Physiological and psychological changes that occur in people can sometimes lead people to consume drugs. For example: various disagreements with family members, ignorance about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, severe depression, simple curiosity, misalignment of values ​​in modern society, strong western psychological influence and lack of promotion of a healthy lifestyle, it is examples like these that unknowingly start people addict to drug .

   Sometimes, some people who want to be materially rich put an end to the lives of several people in the way of their selfish goals. They intended to educate the population, especially young people, about psychotropic substances and then profit from them. But as it is said that every work has its reward and punishment, it is inevitable that they will be prosecuted for this activity.

 In conclusion, it is necessary to avoid becoming a victim of bad vices such as drug addiction. It is the duty of each of us to be aware of what is happening in the society and around us, and to fight against the rise of drug addiction, without being indifferent to the fate of the whole humanity.

Zebo Ibragimova was born on February 24, 2005 in Urta Chirchik district of Tashkent region. Working as the leader of the Youth Union Primary organization, she was recognized as the winner in nominations such as “The Most Middle-aged Girl”, “The Most Poet Girl”, “Spring Queen”.  Her creative works are publishing in national and international newspapers,  journals and anthologies.