Not Maryam
Father, I am not Maryam.
Not Maryam.
Despite that
The one you see
Utter between you,
I am not his mother
And he is not borne from me
Yet the one called Jesus
belongs to me.
…
I am not Maryam, father
Not Maryam.
I buy my bread with my own tears
Every time
You don’t feed me.
Your sky is grapes
And I have not a prophet’s uncle
and My mother didn’t sell me
For the Qibla* of her prayers.
Why then do I see the deaf
And blind
Fight me at my doorstep?
…
Not Maryam, father.
I am not Maryam.
I was not a sister to Harun *
My hands are my witnesses
They tire of shaking
the root of your palms
And I did not dream
of flour falling into my hands
The drink I brought
Is tasteful only to myself.
What’s with these horses
Bleeding and whining
At my sight?
…
I am not Maryam, father.
I am not her.
Your women seek
me for the onset of labour.
And this face
Its features moulded
by the palm of the wind
is ruined by exile.
For the first dawn
I do not rise to deceit,
I am not hanged -
and have no fear.
I am not Maryam, father
I am not Maryam.
But I present myself
As a temple
Lest you claim
that I am Maryam.
…………………..
* Qibla: the direction that a Muslim faces when performing their daily prayers.
* Harun: (Harun Al Rashid 766-809) His date of birth is debatable. The Thousand and One Nights tales were based on him and his imagination.
By Faleeha Hassan
Translated by Dikra Ridha
She is a poet, teacher, editor, writer, and playwright born in Najaf, Iraq, in 1967, who now lives in the United States. Faleeha was the first woman to write poetry for children in Iraq.
She received her master's degree in Arabic literature, and has now published 26 books, her poems have been translated into English, Turkmen, Bosnian, Indian, French, Italian, German, Kurdish, Spain, Korean, Greek, Serbia, Albanian, Pakistani, Romanian, Malayalam, Chinese, ODIA, Nepali and Macedonian language. She is the Pulitzer Prize Nomination 2018, PushCart Prize Nomination 2019.
Member of International Writers and Artists Association.
Winner of the Women of Excellence Inspiration award from SJ magazine 2020, Winner of the Grand Jury Award (the Sahitto International Award for Literature 2021) One of the Women of Excellence selection committees 2023 Winner of women the arts award 2023 Member of Whos’ Who in America 2023
SAHITTO AWARD, JUDGING PANEL 2023
Cultural Ambassador - Iraq, USA
Email : d.fh88@yahoo.com
Winter Love
Winter comes though late comer
I feel you so much, dear winter
After a long hot weather
We welcome you with so many new elements of enjoyment
Including items of foods, cloths and soft touch of loving hand
Sleeping with quilt facing with you
Feeling warm love in secret my heart blazes
In the morning the world is covered with the mist and fog
While nothing is more suitable than my date's cold juice
And the verities of pithas and pa-es
I love you winter so much
Love you because the new flowers in the trees will bloom soon
I love you too much you brought me too close to my loving heart.
Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh,
11 December, 2023The Spring Year-2024
To the beginning of the year -2024
What I say? What I say I do not know.
But like to say much though I can't express
Within this circumstances of the enclosed room
My heart smiles on over the new tune of love
And fraternity in a harmonious world
That makes us happy with all our aims and activity
We can walk freely day and night
Without any dubitation of fire fighting or anxiety
All the flowers in the garden may bloom from here to the last space of the earth
The Spring Year -2024
I love you, welcome you
Hope for the replacement of sorrows and suffering
Into the glittering light of humanity.
Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh,
30 December, 2023
Md. Mahbubul Alam is from Bangladesh. His writer name is Mahbub John in Bangladesh. He is a Senior Teacher (English) of Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh. Chapainawabganj is a district town of Bangladesh. He is an MA in English Literature from Rajshahi College under National University. He has published three books of poems in Bangla. He writes mainly poems but other branches of literature such as prose, article, essay etc. also have been published in national and local newspapers, magazines, little magazines. He has achieved three times Best Teacher Certificate and Crest in National Education Week in the District Wise Competition in Chapainawabganj District. He has gained many literary awards from home and abroad.
His English writings have been published in Synchronized Chaos, for seven years.
The Harbinger of Beauty
Today in the evening I saw a baby
Resting its head on the shoulder of its mom.
The little one was gazing with its enchanting eyes
That was unusually attractive, marvelous and nice.
The soft glow of roses was reflecting through its face.
No sign of weariness, anxiety or pain
Could anybody find in that ever beauty creature’s eyes.
I gazed and gazed and found enormous joy
The purity and innocence that the baby had shown.
It captured my feelings and soothed my soul.
This sweet lovely baby, looked heavenly flower to me,
Whose soul is still in touch of the Lord.
The innocent little soul had seen not yet
Poverty, injustice, cruelty and fake.
The treacherous people are following him or walking ahead.
This poor little beauty does not even know
What deprivation, corruption, injustice and hate
Is waiting for this innocent infant.
Alas! this poor soul has not yet guessed
Or imagined the action the silent killers have
In the name of justice power and pelf.
How treacherous, heinous and cruel are they
Who advocate for equality but practice not they!
But dear little baby still we hope
Your arrival on the earth will bring a change.
This world will see righteousness, equality and justice again,
People will have the opportunity to speak, opportunity to work
In the environment where they will enjoy the rights -
Right of speaking, right to smile, right to choose their leader they wish
Who will lead them to the real golden age
Where the sun of freedom will shine again,
They will see there not suppression, corruption, violation of rules
Not application of illegal power or deprivation at all.
(Manzar Alam from Bangladesh)
New Year Song
The caravan of the long road,
Choose a pure address,
Purify every person,
Every year when the last month comes.
Joy fills my heart,
When every New Year comes,
Spring is coming to my life,
When I hear a message from you.
I wait patiently
My love remains with a deficit,
A year passes with algebra,
Grief, sadness when strength comes.
This is how I spend my life
I'm secretly worried
My heart just laughs
When your voice comes.
I have a wish my love,
Get out, my grief,
You be mine, I'll be yours,
When our soul is the same.
Let's sing a new song
Let's knit verse by verse,
Let's create a poem, an epic,
When every New Year comes.
Elmaya Jabbarova - was born in Azerbaijan. She is a poet, writer, reciter, and translator. Her poems were published in the regional newspapers «Shargin sesi», «Ziya», «Hekari», literary collections «Turan», «Karabakh is Azerbaijan!», «Zafar», «Buta», foreign Anthologies «Silk Road Arabian Nights», «Nano poem for Africa», «Juntos por las Letras 1;2», «Kafiye.net» in Turkey, in the African's CAJ magazine, Bangladesh's Red Times magazine, «Prodigy Published» magazine. She performed her poems live on Bangladesh Uddan TV, at the II Spain Book Fair 1ra Feria Virtual del Libro Panama, Bolivia, Uruguay, France, Portugal, USA.
RAINBOW PENUMBRAS
Pierced by the wind my steps...
I see myself lying restless
between the scream and the silence
I hear sirens behind the rainbow,
in treble clef
High amazement
Sweet delirium
Name day time,
swaying that appears.
when a new year approaches
And I say to myself:
You still fulfill vertically
your destiny,
peering into the nuance of each letter
Only walk and only peace
Heart of lateral foliage,
until the canvas comes down of rainbow gloom,
to wrap it...
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, receiving awards several times worldwide. She works as the World Manager of Educational and Social Projects of the Hispanic World Union of Writers and the UHE World Honorary President of the same institution Activa de la Sade, Argentine Society of Writers. She is a commissioner of honor in the executive cabinet IN THE EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL RELATIONS DIVISION, of the UNACCC SOUTH AMERICA ARGENTINA CHAPTER.
HOURGLASS
As if your wishes touch me on this winter night,
and our bodies are not the limit, there is soul touch
without physical touch.
Winter melts from our smiles,
joy is multiplied by sweet words.
I imagine...an hourglass that measures the time in each
grain of sand, but time does not stop,
because our thoughts turn that clock over and over again.
I want time to stop, for us.
Maja Milojković was born in 1975 in Zaječar, Serbia.
She is a person to whom from an early age, Leonardo da Vinci's statement "Painting is poetry that can be seen, and poetry is painting that can be heard" is circulating through the blood.
That's why she started to use feathers and a brush and began to reveal the world and herself to them.
As a poet, she is represented in numerous domestic and foreign literary newspapers, anthologies and electronic media, and some of her poems can be found on YouTube.
Many of her poems have been translated into English, Hungarian, Bengali and Bulgarian due to the need of foreign readers.
She is the recipient of many international awards.
"Trees of Desire" is her second collection of poems in preparation, which is preceded by the book of poems "Moon Circle".
She is a member of the International Society of Writers and Artists "Mountain Views" in Montenegro, and she also is a member of the Poetry club "Area Felix" in Serbia.
My dearest,
Why be sad on New Year?
Why shed a precious tear?
The end of past is so near
Beginnings can't you hear?
Life may be unfair as it is so
Tonight, let every pain just go
Struggle, disillusion you know
To hopelessness don't kowtow
Tonight, a new cloth to weave
Do not add reasons to grieve
New dream for heart to receive
Just let it go, hope to perceive
Life is beautiful, you must fight
Hold on to your courage tight
Don't underestimate spirit's might
Look forward to Future so bright.
True Gift
A gift is a basket of laughter
Where all good times gather
A gift is a big bowl of smile
Memories more than a mile
A gift is thick bouquet of sigh
Romances flying way up high
A gift is warm blanket of fear
Where rare peace I hold dear
A gift is crystal glass of doubt
Confused as what is life about
A gift is a teacup full of tears
Pains and griefs no one hears
A gift is able to feel the free air
Love anger hope and despair
A gift is chance to live and strive
Despite all continue to thrive
Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa was born January 14, 1965, in Manila Philippines. She has worked as a retired Language Instructor, interpreter, caregiver, secretary, product promotion employee, and private therapeutic masseur. Her works have been published as poems and short story anthologies in several language translations for e-magazines, monthly magazines, and books; poems for cause anthologies in a Zimbabwean newspaper; a feature article in a Philippine newspaper; and had her works posted on different poetry web and blog sites. She has been writing poems since childhood but started on Facebook only in 2014. For her, Poetry is life and life is poetry.
Lilian Kunimasa considers herself a student/teacher with the duty to learn, inspire, guide, and motivate others to contribute to changing what is seen as normal into a better world than when she steps into it. She has always considered life as an endless journey, searching for new goals, and challenges and how she can in small ways make a difference in every path she takes. She sees humanity as one family where each one must support the other and considers poets as a voice for truth in pursuit of equality and proper stewardship of nature despite the hindrances of distorted information and traditions.
