Thank you to Jacques Fleury for responding to our request for readers to offer their expertise to assist writers! He has a variety of published writing which he can refer people to on request and is open to being interviewed on these topics:

-History of Haiti, as an author on the subject & as a Haiti born  American citizen 

-Black/African American History, as a “black” man who grew up in America & as an author on the subject

-Race and Racism, as a Person of Color having survived & thrived despite lived experience of racism & as author on subject

-Mental Health/Illness/Wellness & Recovery, having had lived experience & as an author on the subject

Everyone else, if you have an area of knowledge where you’d be glad to be interviewed to help people who are writing about that topic, please reach out to us at synchchaos@gmail.com.

Also, our contributor Abigail George’s book When Bad Mothers Happen, released January 2024 from European publisher Morten Rand, is available for Synchronized Chaos readers to review. Please let us know if this interests you and her publisher can send review copies (and we can publish reviews!)

It is available on Amazon here, and here is a link to a promo video.

This month, our contributors figure out how to make sense of the universe, piece by piece.

Alan Catlin renders lists and catalogues into a form of poetry, building up objects from their components, like a brick tower or a floral arrangement. J.D. Nelson crafts auditory and visual snapshots that can stand for and evoke an entire scene.

Soren Sorensen contributes mixed media alterations of reality and existential poetry on making sense of the universe. Mars Brocke’s mixed media artwork plays with reality and perception in a nod to Alice in Wonderland. His poetry, also surreal, evokes memories and states of mind. Martha Ellen conveys the psychological changes induced by benzodiapine medicine and the fluidity and vulnerability of the human brain and mind. Mark Young creatively defines concepts through descriptive words that once explained something.

Christina Chin and Uchechukwu Onyedikam’s collaborative haiku focuses on and thus highlights the value of noticing small and in-between moments.

Saidova Mahzuna outlines methods for learning and teaching vocabulary. Mo’minjonova Diyora highlights the benefits of continuing to read and learn throughout life. Sevinchoy Sanat outlines ways to enhance education through technology as Ibrohimova Durdonaxon outlines different areas to focus on when improving childhood education. However, sometimes the old ways still hold wisdom: Daniel De Culla relates a humorous tale of a modern woman who chooses to go with folk wisdom regarding her health. Gregg Norman presents a poem from the point of view of a character who’s living life to the fullest, with health benefits as incidental.

Noah Berlatsky muses on the identity of Spock and on what makes intriguing literary characters. Jacques Fleury reflects on his personal and cultural identity. Mesfakus Salahin speaks to life, death, and personal accountability, redemption, and the meaning of one individual life. David Sapp relates a tale of responsibility, honor, and mailboxes. Ranjan Sagar reminds us that others’ poor character need not diminish our own. Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa addresses the tension between roots and wings, needing to fly free and wanting a stable nest, and reflects on the end of life. Paul Tristram speaks to personal growth, strength, and self-discipline while Sarvinoz Mansurova shares her family’s dreams for her and her own aspirations. Nigora Tursunboyeva’s short story celebrates adventure and finding one’s own way in life.

Gaurav Ojha reflects on how he will take nothing with him when he leaves the earth. Graciela Noemi Villaverde expresses the exquisite anguish of losing someone close to her. Engin Cir speaks to the grief, but also the indignation, of romantic heartbreak. Faleeha Hassan evokes the feeling of anxiety, being exposed and weighed down. Mykyta Ryzhykh conveys alienation, cold, and a halfway state between life and death.

Duane Vorhees speaks to creativity, sensuality, and history, evoking major and minor apocalypses that occur when people cannot or do not adapt to constant change. Taylor Dibbert reflects on how creativity can help him weather, if not avoid, his struggles. Z.I. Mahmud links the expectations of Samuel Beckett’s characters in Waiting for Godot to those of broader Western religious and cultural traditions.

Adam Fieled writes of our twin natures, the balance of masculine and feminine. Z.I. Mahmud examines the family relationships in D.H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers through a Freudian psychoanalytic lens. Karimova Sarvara Karimovna crafts an elegant and highly personal love poem. Kristy Raines speaks to the joy of a close loving relationship. Aytuvova Khurshida shares a love story that gets interrupted by life, but where the former partners always remember each other. Numonova Khonzodabegim poignantly shares the challenges and risks military families face.

J.K. Durick speaks to the harsh realities of aging and death and hunger, which can be eased, but not completely erased, by modern culture. J.J. Campbell’s poetry addresses aging and resignation while Dildora Toshtemirova reflects on the loss of a close friend or lover. Nosirova Gavhar’s short story combines two great human passions: love and grief.

Paul Callus and Christina Chin collaborate on a wide-ranging haiku collection evoking home, place, and time. Stephen Jarrell Williams captures many of summer’s varied moods in his haiku. Steven Croft watches a Civil War reenactment through the eyes of a modern veteran. Brooks Lindberg speaks to what we remember and what we forget, of grasping happiness despite reality. Rustamjonova Nodira celebrates the perseverance of Uzbekistan’s founders, leaders, and people, as Nuraini Mohammed Usman urges her society to carry out collective housecleaning and purge old enmities.

Murodova Sitora urges teachers to continue to learn and develop their skills and be accorded the respect and resources in order to do so. Abduraximova Muyassarxon relates how a dedicated teacher helped her regain her confidence. Rukshona Qiyomova outlines the many responsibilities of a teacher and the value of the teaching profession. Sevinch Saidova reflects on the value of education for personal development. Sushant Kumar highlights the need for teachers to serve as role models as well as impart intellectual information.

Majidova Sevinch pays tribute to the many dimensions of a mother’s love and care. Sobirjonova Rayhona offers a tribute to her sister’s care and friendship. Ilhomova Mohichehra takes joy in her friends and her lovely homeland of Uzbekistan.

Brian Barbeito revels in the easy intimacy of the conversation on a summer hike. Salokhiddinova Mohichehra examines the structure and function of nature close to home, the human kidney. Isabel Gomez de Diego contributes visual poetry of everyday life: dinner with family, a visit with a grandson, a tree in the yard. Kylian Cubilla Gomez takes closeup peeks at backyard chickens.

Sayani Mukherjee recollects a quiet morning outdoors under the blue sky, smelling the scent of trees with her child. Maja Milojkovic yearns for and finds reminders of her lover in every aspect of nature. Intizor Samandarova evokes the sky’s expansive emptiness in her poetry as Don Bormon poetizes about the vast variety of clouds.

However, nature is not always calm: researcher Les Beley speaks to the ecological impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mahbub Alam describes the recent flash floods in parts of Bangladesh and the loss of life and property.

Farida Botayeva reflects on how quickly our circumstances and emotions can change. Ziyoda Murodilova considers how she will persevere in her life despite unpredictable feelings.

Finally, Christopher Bernard presents an old-style lyrical recipe for preparing hope in the kitchen.

          Fate

No matter how much suffering hurts my tongue,
I will go on my way.
Sometimes falling, sometimes standing
Trials lead to dreams.

If not for God,
The wind doesn't blow, it doesn't pour high
I fall for a reason too
This fall will not last forever.

The stars count the days in the distance,
The sun always shines its golden light.
If only I had wings to fly
I would reach the heavens.



   Just that

A beautiful breeze works every moment
My dreams are with me
It's like a long time ago
I just learned to live.

When I am in pain, my heart feels my pain.
Every breath I take is visible to my body
Obedience all my life
Just stop for a moment.

My imagination is sad and gently stirs
The sweet door of my heart
It is as if he has entered a mysterious world
I just live in a secret age.

A butterfly will land on my hand
And my emotions are like an unstable wind
My tender words from the heart
It's just a piece of paper.


Ziyoda Murodilova, daughter of Zufarjon, was born on October 15, 2007 in the city of Fergana in the Republic of Uzbekistan. She wants to use her creative abilities to read, write and help people any way possible. 

Rooms

Room A: The room where you watched the sun set with a dyslexic boy you named Squirrle

Room B: The room where your rejected lover tapped a Morse code against his shaved head

Room C: The room where your father-on-parole hid his little tin men under your bed. At night, they marched and drummed and sang German beer songs until you cried Uncle

Room D: The room where Penny dropped her glass eye and you could never hold her in the same way

Room E: When you’re 3 sizes too big for everything and can’t stretch backwards or sideways, you’ll reconstruct the room as floating space

Room F: Where you shared popcorn with a pickpocket who snuck rare coins into your dirty jeans

Room G: Where your brother returned home with his junkie love

Room H: The visiting nun who forgot to close the door to your room and left you to melt

Room I: When the room collapses from a fire, you are lighter than ash

Room J: The room where a boy named Jesus played banjo until your knees bled

Room K: The room where you gave birth to another room

That 70s Show

It was different then. We were as careless as near sighted thieves. We drank rock & rye until our hearts were too water-logged to beat an even rhythm. We dated people who didn’t believe our real names. We re-invented ourselves in the dark and couldn’t see what we made. We finally met again adrift in an empty ocean. “Are you floating alone?” an old friend asked me. “Yes,” I said, still am.” He smiled wistfully the way he once did.

All-Night Diner

Today’s special: Death at a discount

Choices: charcoal broiled, braised, fried with onions,

or just quick & dry.

served with truffles and parsley echoes.

Orange mushrooms too, if you prefer.

Family Guy

you took the rap

for your starry-eyed

father who never

learned how to swim

or how to collect

snowflakes in a

petri dish.

they hung you

from a cloud

A Ku for Emily

The warmth of your mouth

My words form couplets & thaw

Mars Brocke has been published in Otolith, Ink in Thirds, and elsewhere. He loves old garage bands of the 60s and still adores Iggy Pop. He also loves soft-serve ice cream. 

Black Sea and War: How does Russian aggression affect the Black Sea ecosystem?

In 2022, the Ukrainian South became a theater of active warfare. This, in its turn, couldn’t pass without leaving a mark on ecology, as Russians fight dirtily, not sparing shells and pressuring with numbers instead of accuracy. The war is still being fought, and part of the Ukrainian South is still under occupation, but scientists try to keep their finger on the pulse. Kunsht has visited Mykhailo Son, a Doctor of Biology, and a leading scientist at The Institute of Marine Biology of NASU in Odesa.

Three years ago, the Institute lived through a horrible fire that took the lives of the Institute employees, valuable collections, and scientific materials. Nowadays, the institute is scattered around the city. Mr. Mykhailo has agreed to meet us in the administrative building.

Our conversation began with a general evaluation of the situation. The scientist marked that war is a double-edged sword. On one hand, ecology suffers from battles, sunk ships, artillery shells, and destroyed industrial facilities. But on the other hand, because of the limits on fishing, mining, paralyzed tourism, and construction on the coast, the sea has a chance for revival, especially in those coastal areas where there are no active battles. 

An analysis of the consequences of war on the marine ecosystem is complicated by many factors. First, it’s impossible to evaluate the situation in the occupied territories. And the Azov Sea is occupied as a whole. It’s hard to know what consequences the ruining of the industrial Mariupol and coastal Azovstal has led to. Second, in the territories under Ukrainian control, a lot of zones are controlled by the military, and there are many mine barriers, so the research isn’t currently done there. Last year, the Institute of Marine Biology was able to do research only in the delta of the Danube, northern parts of the estuaries (Tylihulsky, Sukhy, Kuyalnytsky, Hryhoriivsky), and a small part of the sea near the mouth of the Danube that was opened for fishing. Third, during the war, both national and international ecological institutions are weakened, and monitoring and research get interrupted. Ukraine was planning to inaugurate complex monitoring of the marine ecosystem in 2022, under the efforts for Eurointegration. The research should have been done by Borys Aleksandrov, a ship gifted to Ukraine by Belgium, but its launch was postponed because of the war. Fourth, the analysis of the ecological situation has to be done with a complex analysis of all the sources, including the Russian ones, and they are impossible to take into consideration now, given that when Russia gives data on “Russian Black Sea territory” in its reports, this includes the occupied territories. Because of this confusion, the International Black Sea Commission (which includes all the countries on the coast of the Black Sea) cannot work correctly.

All these factors complicate the analysis a lot, but the scientists try out alternative methods of research – for instance, using satellite imagery to evaluate the extent of sea pollution because of war based on the color of the water.  

The marine environment differs in that it’s not as mosaic as the land one. This means that in the mountains, forests, and lakes small habitats with unique species that are easy to destroy are much more common. The sea has very vast monotonous stretches. If a part of some habitat is damaged it will renew soon. But the marine ecosystem is also vulnerable, especially in the lagoons, estuaries, bays, and coastal areas. In the depth of the Black Sea, there are unique fields with the Phyllophora algae that create landscapes with valuable biota. “Such vast zones of continuous algal biocoenoses outside of the tidal zone of the coast are unique. The Sargasso Sea can be considered an analog of such an ecosystem. Such vast clusters of Phyllophora and corresponding groups of animals that colonize them don’t exist anywhere else in the world,” – Mr. Mykhailo explains. Last year’s hostilities were a direct threat to them.   

Zmiiny Isle is one more victim of this war. The battles for it were rather intensive as it was the key to the opening of the grain corridor. Once, it could boast of unique rocks with peculiar biota that differed from Crimea and the Odesa region. *Any islands form unique ecosystems due to their isolation from the continent. This uniqueness may also stem from the paucity of their biota. Then, the biodiversity is lower and there are species that take the niches of others. If the island is big, this triggers evolution with formation of new species. Zmiiny has landscapes of “hard” rocks (metamorphic rocks), and due to this its biological formations resemble those characteristic to the Crimean rocks in their function. Nonetheless, it is situated in the zone of lower salinity (like all the north-west parts of the Black Sea), and many of the species characteristic of Crimea are absent here. In consequence, a specific group is formed that differs from others, for example, by high numbers of the warty crab and the marbled rock crab and a presence of marine lichens. Part of the rocks is physically destroyed. The birds also used Zmiiny to rest, especially those that don’t use to visit the continent. Currently, scientists can’t evaluate the scale of the damage to the island’s ecosystem, as all the monitoring and research missions on it are stopped. Before the invasion, a biological station of the university was functioning there (it researched the spread of viruses in birds among other things), and the employees of the Institute of Marine Biology use to visit the island.

The topic of the anomalously high death rate among dolphins and porpoises in the Black Sea has probably become most known to the public. Ecologists hypothesize that active combat is a possible reason for this, as the animals react to underwater waves, sounds of explosions, and the work of sonars. Mr. Mykhailo notes that the topic needs verified scientific research, and, fortunately, it is happening. It’s one of the few instances when scientists were allowed to do research for a criminal investigation. The scientists from the Institute of Zoology of NASU took samples of different brain tissues of the animals. The molecular samples are currently being researched in Europe.

One more ecologically vulnerable habitat is Kakhovka Reservoir; Russians barbarously drop big amounts of water from it. This may damage the ecosystem of the Reservoir itself, bringing disbalance to its hydrological and oxygen regime, and the lower area of Dnipro under the dam, including its delta, can become a victim of flooding, which brings the risks of polluting the water with trash and industrial waste.

Mr. Mykhailo dreams that, after the war, it will be possible to launch the sea monitoring system, which will give accurate and full data, and the institute will be able to use them for its specialized research.

Mr. Mykhailo answers the question of what is needed to evaluate the consequences of war for ecosystems like this: “First of all, of course, we need access to the sea, and we also need funding for the expeditions and equipment. At the current stage, we can use new scientific methods that aren’t yet practiced in Ukraine, for example, genetic research that can show a short-term impact on an organism. **Such an indicator for pollution may be, for example, transcriptomics – an analysis of the totality of the RNA that is formed in a cell based on the genetic code in DNA. This shows, for instance, differences in expression of genes connected to immunity. Other possible analyses are an analysis of the proteins characteristic of stress, an analysis of the number of mutations, including chromosome abnormalities, incorrect work of the mitosis mechanism and abnormalities in the structure of the cell membranes.  This may show if the organism is under stress, or whether there are influences of toxic chemicals and so on.”

After our conversation, we went to the beach in Odesa – that part of it where you can go without a military convoy. Public utility workers approached us and warned us that a mine could be washed on the shore. They let us stay but asked us to be careful. Passers-by from Odesa couldn’t miss an opportunity for a joke and told us to bring all the mines to their scrap metal collecting spot.

In a couple of hours, Mr. Mykhailo, having solved all his work issues, was able to join us with his research equipment. On the beach, he dug some sand looking for a Donacilla mollusk. They didn’t come all the way to Odesa shores as the tourists accidentally destroyed them, but after a dead tourism season, the researchers started to find specimens of this species on the beaches of the city. 

We weren’t lucky enough to find a Donacilla, but Mr. Mykhailo found Zostera sea grass washed on the shore nearby that used to be rare on the city beaches for decades.

In a pile of seashells, Mr. Mykhailo picked up those of Black Sea oysters. An invasive species of Rapana has almost destroyed this species.

One of the versions says that Rapanas appeared in the Black Sea at the end of the 1940s because of WWII. First, Japan had contact with Italy, and its fleet brought Rapana from the Japanese to the Adriatic Sea. And then, when the USSR took a part of the Italian fleet as reparations, they brought this carnivorous mollusk with it, which had a big impact on the ecosystem of the Black Sea.

Mr. Mykhailo mentions the Crimean War, where the cavalry had an important role, in this context. Forage and hay for the horses were brought there from all over Europe, and this way a whole number of new plants appeared in Crimea. 

The current war also brings great risks of the appearance of invasive species. Russians bring warships from the Baltic and Caspian Seas to the Black Sea. Russian oil is being transported by new routes under the sanctions. It may be, that one of the consequences of the full-scale Russian invasion will be a vast-scale appearance of new invasive species in our ecosystems.

This report has been developed within the project supported by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. government.

Author:

Les Beley

Photographer:

Valentyn Kuzan

Original article you can read here: https://scienceatrisk.org/uk/story/viina-i-more

YOUR ABSENCE 

I look at your portrait, 
and I paint a smile with the brightness of your eyes… 
I fall silent when I get home. 
I call you less
I try out discretions
I modify poems
I practice a new now. 
I balance so as not to fall, 
my war sews moons into a flag of truce
Between twilights, fear wants an end of warm sand. 
Maybe I'm not the same, 
Maybe there isn't a maybe that rescues me
With your absence there is no reflection that confirms… 
Not even a piece of truth that shows the sky
My eyes like stones face uncertain futures, 
And they cry inside.


GRACIELA NOEMI VILLAVERDE is a writer and poet from Concepción del Uruguay (Entre Rios) Argentina, based in Buenos Aires She graduated in letters and is the author of seven books of poetry, awarded several times worldwide. She works as the World Manager of Educational and Social Projects of the Hispanic World Union of Writers and is the UHE World Honorary President of the same institution Activa de la Sade, Argentine Society of Writers. She is the Commissioner of Honor in the executive cabinet IN THE EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL RELATIONS DIVISION, of the UNACCC SOUTH AMERICA ARGENTINA CHAPTER.

YESTERDAY WAS SO…

I was very happy yesterday

What happened to me today?

Yesterday my hair was a river,

And today, a knot like a heart?!

Yesterday was the sky, the sky

Today it is raining and cloudy.

Yesterday was a lifetime, a lifetime

Forget today like a dream.

Yesterday was full of heart,

Today it suddenly became a mess.

But a word became a sword,

There is no place to live, no shelter.

Yesterday I was alive too,

Today, it’s a stone.

I was a man, I was a man

I got sunburned today!

O friend!

No matter what you say, it’s today

Do not leave a knot in your heart.

The dream is long, the regret is long,

Can tomorrow find today?

Hey man!

Don’t hide what you say,

Say I love you, beg nolan.

Hearts are full of love,

Can tomorrow find today?

It’s beautiful when a flower blooms next to me,

I will put your eyes on my eyes.

If you don’t come, I’ll go myself

Can tomorrow find today?

Come, come with your mountain on your shoulders,

Come with your Khazonrez garden.

Come with sadness in your heart,

Can tomorrow find today?

Dear man, make your day strong,

A handful for every moment.

Live today, find strength,

Can tomorrow find today?

Farida Afroz (Farida Botayeva) was born on March 5, 1956 in the city of Kokan, Fergana region. She studied at the Kokan State Pedagogical Institute named after Muqimi. She is a member of the Writers’ Union of Uzbekistan, a deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.