Scratch board drawing by Rui M. inspired in “Fees et Tendres
Automates” by Béatrice Tillier – Téhy
Art from Rui Carvalho
Author Archives: Synchronized Chaos
Elizabeth Hughes’ Book Periscope
The Legend of the Coco Palms Resort
Legend of the Coco Palms Resort is a suspense mystery that is most definitely a must have for the mystery lover and fans of Ms. Rita D’Orazio. I absolutely love this book! It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page with its surprising twists and turns. Abby Parker works for Brickman and Brickman law firm in New York. She is sent to Kauai to obtain the land where The Coco Palms Resort sits. The resort was completely ruined by a hurricane and has stood emptied since. While there, she comes across Kanoa Kahala, whom she was dating and very much in love with in New York until his abrupt departure. As she is walking around the Coco Palms she looks up into a second story window and thinks she sees a woman looking down at her. What follows is a riveting story of romance, suspense and mystery that will keep you gripping the edge of your seat until the very last page. I know you will love this book as much as I do and will read it again and again. This is Rita D’Orazio at her best. You will NOT be disappointed.
Poetry from Suvojit Banerjee
To the non Wonder
In our days of learning the slum-alphabets
we craved of sugar-topped coconut balls
served in a silver dish.
That never came about.
With a pistol in my hand and a raging
youth in my loins, I had given in
to the picture of wonder, and
meekly submitted, like a damaged
Dorian Gray, plunging inside
the dark pollens of rhododendrons.
Love to me was stories
that rich people told their kids
at bedtime. The wagon-breakers,
the mongrels born out of
streetside fucks didn’t get
a Christmas present.
The gentle greenery was swaying with
moist, complaining river wind that evening.
When I saw my son thrusting himself
into a woman, teeth and nails bare,
burning his wonders into
a hot vicious brand, I was sitting with
my share of bullets, counting stars that
never shone on people who grew up
under homes made of plastic shades.
A piece of the forgotten
On the other side of the wall
that moons can see on earth, lies
a river with five faces. The suburban
myth led people to jump to their
death here, thinking that under
the gray abyss of water
was Atlantis.
On mornings laced with fumes
of roasted ducks and fried
catfish, blind hawkers made
their way to the bigger
spectacle of a city with
skyscrapers. Little bougainvilleas
coming out from the creaks
of the wall are fed by
bone-wishes of people buried there.
It is a strange curio-shop of old
people and even older wishes,
wrapped hastily by
banana-leaves, yellowing
every second.
Lewis Mark Grimes reviews Stephen Nawotniak’s children’s book Mubu the Morph
Charming is the first word that comes to mind. Mubu the Morph is an anthropomorphized squiggle who takes on many forms. The metaphor for our species and indeed for all sentient life is a powerful one. Treating it to color and form in a children’s book is a perfect idea. What a great way to sneak tolerance of diversity into a seemingly harmless juvenile picture book.
The creatures are endearing and lovable. At least I fell in love.
The text is a mixture of poetry and prose poetry. I was favorably reminded of Ted Geisel’s (Dr. Seuss’s) work with its absurd sing song poems that engage a huge audience. Everyone from that audience would enjoy Mubu the Morph.
Stephen Nawotniak is a formidable writing talent and illustrations by Jeffrey Scott Perdziak were arresting and memorable.
This book is a 5 Star winner and a great gift in the under 11 reader category.
Poetry from Mahbub
O my dear
O my dear, you are not here
birds are calling the morning awakes
soft wind blows around me
the sun rays with glowing colours
The roses blossoming I like most
enchants me with its fragrance
O my dear, you are not here
I can hear, feel you just my bear
every time I pay heed to
in the world of silence
O my dear, though not here
every time you call me
the objects of nature beckoning
to see the glory of loving features.
Balubagan, Chapainawabganj
13/09/2015
Poetry from Michael Marrotti
“When Dealing With A Narcissist”
I make sure
I’m equipped
with two ice
cold beers
It’s going
to be awhile
her self-obsessed
monologue is
endless
I listen as she
rambles on
about everything
from what she
claims to be her
latest achievements
to family gossip
it all goes back
to her
After an hour
I attempt to
mention
the publication
of one of my
poems
It’s dismissed
like a misbehaving
child in the
principles office
I casually finish
my cold beer
raise my
insignificant
body to my feet
and say goodbye
to apathy
I know I’m an author
but this was supposed
to be a day of leisure
I didn’t come here
to write your
autobiography
Synchronized Chaos October 2016: Love, Loss, and Rebirth
“The Weeper in Ivory” cemetery photo by V. Fairuz
When the wheel of the year rolls over to autumn and the holiday season draws near, chilly weather and indoor activities can cause many people to become more introspective about the age old mysteries of love and loss. Being heavily affected by temperature changes, this is certainly true for me. I find myself drinking copious amounts of hot cocoa and chai and taking more breaks from work to snuggle up with heart-rending poetry or a good tale as I prepare for Halloween and Samhain.
As we plunge deep into the time of year when the major crops (here in the U.S.) are giving up their final fruits and home gardens are being prepared to be bedded down for the winter, I remind myself that though the vegetation is losing its vitality to strong winds and nippy atmosphere, everything will be reborn again in the spring– strong, vibrant and resilient as always.
In this “Love, Loss and Rebirth” issue of Synchronized Chaos we present to you accounts of the erosion of love and confidence in both society and in oneself. These timely pieces drive at the heart of the matter in excruciating detail, yet we must remember there is hope in this life. In telling these stories our minds are opened to different ways of thinking, drawing forth renewed compassion for others, the knowledge that we are not alone in our suffering, and the realization that the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel” may not be as far off as we may have thought.
This issue’s contributors bring us a prism’s spectrum of musings into the human spirit, like John Grochalski’s thoughtful lament on the deficit of civility between strangers in today’s world and Michael Paul Hogan’s short sea-side tale hinging on unrequited admiration.
From Nina Berggren comes a staggering exploration of alienation of the self in the midst of a society that views disability and poverty with scorn, while poetry from Neil Ellman examines losing oneself to the relentless march of time while struggling to love what is left. Ellman reveals how love can transform a person from the ordinary to the saintly. Both Mahbub and Sheikha A. bring us haunting, endearing poems of beauty, joy, possession, and ethereal deprivation. Michael Robinson shows us optimism and renewal conveyed with well-placed, elegant phrasing.
The struggles of youth against a world that wishes to annihilate them and respect for the wisdom of elderhood are central elements of the poems by PW Covington, making these works particularly poignant at a time in U.S. history where we’re struggling to keep the American Experiment afloat.
Synchronized Chaos’ own Cristina Deptula reminds us of the importance of allowing oneself time to center and rejuvenate– especially after fighting the good fight aiding those who have lost much in life, and Patrick Ward offers up an uncanny bouquet of dark poetry regarding ghostly miasma left after a tragic death, the heart-wrenching pain of being unloved… and the frightening duplicity of clowns.
And finally, Joan Beebe brings us deliciously descriptive poems welcoming the onset of fall, and a short inspirational essay about turning personal devastation into hope.
On a lighter note we have a poetic and oddly hilarious tale of fatal hubris from Christopher Bernard, Michael Marrotti’s humorous short essay displaying a great way to rattle minds at open mics, and a satirical piece from Donal Mahoney whose protagonist readers will find unsettlingly familiar.
Jaylan Salah interviews engineer turned stuntman Brady Romberg about the history and trials of the industry, and Elizabeth Hughes’ Book Periscope column announces the release of Kathrine LaFleur’s sword-and-sorcery fantasy novel Moonlight Hunting, book two of the Cardonian Chronicles.
This issue’s autumnal cornucopia is overflowing with thought-provoking literary treats, so grab a hot drink, a warm blanket (and maybe a little Halloween candy!) and settle in for a bittersweet hayride of thrilling and insightful reads.
V. Fairuz is a multidisciplinary artist, copy editor, and writer. She is also a fan of the Oxford comma because clarity is key. Her online writing and editing landing pad can be found at her blog The Dog-Eared Dragon.