Turning 75 Three Times

	1-
Self-portraits by Picasso:
elbows where the head
should be, mouth and eyes
randomly scattered,
a mass of color; 
body parts trying to connect

	2-
Novels in three lines
like Japanese death poems:
a few words summing up life-
more than enough

	3-
Remembering morning at
a still lake: false dawn 
suggesting light with a
persistence of fog refusing
to lift-lines written in lieu
of mourning. 


White Noise Twice

	1-
Woman in white-
pale skin and alabaster
eyes, a white room
wraith, a scatter of
dried flowers, herbs; 
Emily Dickinson dreaming

	2-
Open Mic with thunderstorm
with unexpected static, 
dimming house lights
then total darkness;
an apology for reading
a war poem that ends
in thunder


Kawabata Six Times

	1-
At peace pagoda-
wrought iron character
for peace. At dusk
a bell rings

	2-
Clear summer night.
Where are the fireflies?

	3-
Still Life with Flower
Arrangement- 

single long stem Iris
in clear glass vase.
Shadows cast on
white interior wall;
perfect symmetries

	4-
Still Life with Waterfalls-

Summer drought reduces
flow. At the crest,
sleek stepping stones-
still a long way down

	5-
A trick of light
on lake reflects
flocks of birds

	6-
Folding origami cranes
for peace and releasing 
them into rivers, ponds,
lakes- a thousand is
never enough


Flood Tides Five Times

	1-
Cornfields on a flood
plain-only the tops
of stalks visible

	2-
Light through spider’s
web between two trees;
a world about to end

	3-
Found, barely visible
in receding tidal pool,
between a scatter of rocks,
a whale’s rib

	4-
After the flood,
gray morning sky;
a broken tree limb
with one bird on it

	5-
Weeks of rain then clear
and warm. The sun feels
strange, out of place

Seeing Sleep Four Times

	1-
Looking up from under
water, the movement
of clouds

	2-
Sleep-letting go
of the body,
the mind moves on

	3-
Light through gaps
between broken trees.
New day colors-
blue sky and rising sun,
almost liquids

	4-
Bone white trees-
moon shadows on
still water.
Nothing moves


White Symphony Three Times
	
	1-
Young woman in white
gazing into a mirror-
reflection in half tones
and light

	2-
Woman seated on piano
bench facing away from keys,
an annotated score open
to a piece for four hands,
two hands missing

	3-
Dreaming woman sleepwalking
in white, silk kimono empty
tea cups in each limp hand;
rice paper walls dissolve
around her.


Tone Poems Three Times

	1-
Outdoor concert at
night, Les Preludes
with moonglow and
meteor showers; a tone
poem with stars in it

	2-
November evening
with freezing rain

Cars sliding
on black ice

Inside a Schubert trio;
safe at home at last

	3-
Stained glass sonata:
musical notes as pure
as light through
colored glass

1



crow’s feet 

each year 

closer to a murder



	lag time 



Shane Coppage 

	& Jerome Berglund



2



leap of faith 



	what kind of present			

	does an artist give

	Kilroy



Shane Coppage 

	& Jerome Berglund

3



fiddlehead

joining the last place		

to permit entry



	no refunds



Jerome Berglund

	& Shane Coppage



4



pink corvette 

there are no wrinkles 			

in her skirt 



	orthodox church



Shane Coppage 

	& Jerome Berglund



5



Dr. Feelgood





	ruck pack

	Atlas eat 

	your heart out



Jerome Berglund

	& Shane Coppage

Jerome Berglund has worked as everything from dishwasher to paralegal, night watchman to assembler of heart valves. Many haiku, haiga and haibun he’s written have been exhibited or are forthcoming online and in print, most recently in bottle rockets, Frogpond, Kingfisher, and Presence. A mixed media chapbook showcasing his fine art photography is available now from Fevers of the Mind.

Shane Coppage is a poet and artist. His poetry has been published in Prune Juice, Whiptail, Humana Obscura, dadakuku, Trash Panda, The Heron’s Nest, Modern Haiku, Wales Haiku Journal, The Wee Sparrow Press, and Cold Moon Journal, among others. Coppage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his growing family.

The Awesome Himalaya

An awesome great height,

and a multiplex geologic frame

with breathtaking designs.

Snow capped summits and peaks,

large valleys with heaps of

solid water and freezing salt.

Extensive water gorges with

rich flora and fauna;

like the delicate growing viola,

the ever creeping frageria,

the tuft potent ilia,

lesser pandas,

the very elusive polar leopard,

and the dreadful luciferian black bear.

All these speak loudly and visibly to you

about me – The Himalaya.

I have promoted and elevated a few to

the heroic peaks of intrepid success.

The chief of them being Hillary.

Still any who dares to maintain the upward

trajectory will undoubtedly be indelibly rewarded.

I am a rare sight to behold, and the melting pot of the red dragon, the golden sparrow, the thunderbolt, the incredible land of the gods, and Ali Jinnah’s carved out jewel.

Synchronized Chaos Magazine expresses compassion for all those affected by the wildfires in L.A. and support for those who are fighting them.

You may send cards here to be delivered to firefighters who are part of a program where incarcerated people in California may spend some of their sentences assisting fire crews.

Anti-Recidivism Project

1320 E. 7th St. Suite 260
Los Angeles, CA 90021

Alternatively, you may add a message for the fire fighters on this document, with your name and country, and we’ll print and mail it. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GCuvUmTTeexJMGlQ_7tUIFyldJyDvygTSwCpR_41-_8/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0

You may also donate books for kindergarten through high school to replace school libraries that have burned, or request books if you are a teacher in the L.A. area, by filling out this form for an effort led by young adult author and teacher Veronica Bane: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScW0VHXo3teTViHaFTHdEyqrIkXalQ75lXvXywQ3Qbij4jhew/viewform

Books don’t have to be new and you don’t have to be the author or publisher to donate. All they ask is that the books be in good condition.

Alternatively, you can send elementary titles directly to one school, to librarian Yvette Pompa.

Yvette Pompa

1030 E. California Blvd

Polytechnic School LS Library

Pasadena, CA 91106

Green Engines 

Where data rings around the poisoned
fruit coiled like the

Original sin bacillus but we're not quite
dreaded out 

Yet, foiled the plans of egomaniac
gods with blackened

Wings flapping like a cyborg fan-machine-man
over the 

Tweaked and roiling
abyss of

Scissors, there remains
a system of drillbit girls with heads like

Hammerhead sharks wearing
Polynesian skirts around the issue of 

Unholy orders, fringed, frayed, stripped
Boredom town 

Cross-hatchings in an 
addled adult 

Comic type
Stripped to 

Ill 

ERGO SUM

Smiles spasms and sufferings–

I feel, therefore I am.

Regrets over recent long agos, in the winds and in the sun, regrets over the lost and missed. Appreciation of some pasts, nostalgia for the futures.

Wharf odors of salt and gutted fish. Paint and bait, oil and rust. Clouds scudding overhead, heat miraging up.

Channels’ changing, the bedlam of soundtrack evolutions.

Limbs and torso shake and stretch, my body hinges into starting block, toes knuckle against chocks, fingers pyramid on starting line to lift the earth on edge, ears alert themselves and eyes ahead; a gunshot accordions our tsunami of feet forward, bellow elbows explode intense rhythms in lungs and heart like heated Bismarck batteries firing from iron ribs. And. then. finish line. Momentum ends, and the broader world returns to regular order and the runners pant and slow.

Baby’s first words and steps, crushes explored and wrecked, defiance and surrender on every side, alliances of privilege and power shift from This to Tomorrow.

Geographies of hills and hollows / skin on skin, lips on lips and nipples, tongue on organ / the old cock and pussy polka to the strain of gasps and moans.

The Grand Canyon oranging dawn from rim to bottom. Frozen Niagara’s cinder mist.

INHERENT

Your universe is no anarchist,

absolute liberty is a myth.

So cherish the space among those chains.

Infinity also has limits.

So treasure your time in the gibbet,

embrace your inch before that flame.

Though existence may be flexible,

shackles, ropes, and fires are metaphors

for reality’s innate constraints.

YOU ARE DECIDUOUS

Your branches in winter

spider like wrinkles.

Where’s

your paper birch skin

with its inner pink,

your spring

-leafed hair?

HUNTERS

My bridge is narrow, but your park is lush.

There is a peril for the ones who rush.

A hundred hungry hunters got lost in your bush,

their thousand-throated thunder silenced by your hush.

There is a peril for the ones who rush.

My careful arrow finds your hiding thrush.

LIQUID

I thought I was lucid in Patpong, though maybe I was hallucinating when I thought I saw this maiden blowing the vagina smoke ring blues. She came up to me when she was through and said, “Do you smoke?” and I said, “Well, not like you.” And then in my ear she whispered, “Let’s get liquid. Ooh ooh, let’s get liquid.” So we went to her pharmacy upstairs. She took my prescription and filled it.

She had that electric texture of velvet when rubbed against the grain, and I felt it.

The room filled with her flower and I inhaled it.

Lance shivered against shield as we tilted.

My farmer found her furrow and tilled it.

I opened her book and I shelved it.

Her passion a pink open pistachio, I unshelled it.

My sausage she fried in her skillet.

She made my Johnny Walker Red and then she swilled it.

She raced my engine and derailed it.

She measured my beat and she held it.

She climbed my steeple and she belled it.

She stamped my package and she mailed it.

She blazed my sequoia and she felled it.

I plugged in my tool and I drilled it.

I hammered her board and she nailed it.

She read my fantasy and fulfilled it,

applied my blueprint as she built it.

She fitted my Nino and she sailed it.

over the edge of the sea, she propelled it.

Oooooh ooooh I heard her shout it

(or maybe that was me)

and then our substances melded,

congealed together, we were welded,

but that was the moment we melted.

The orchid exploded and wilted.

And she slid loose, she slipped free.

And we drifted. Oh, we were liquid!

And I thought I was lucid in Bangkok. But maybe I was hallucinating. 

Combating Corruption and Financial Transparency

Today, corruption poses a significant barrier to economic and social development, affecting not only nations but also the private sector and the global financial system. Corruption leads to the misallocation of resources, increased poverty, and loss of public trust in government. In this article, we will explore the impact of corruption on the financial system, the importance of financial transparency, and strategies for combating corruption, including global best practices.

Forms of Corruption in the Financial System

1. Corruption in Government Finances:

In 2015, Brazil’s “Petrobras Scandal” became one of the most well-known examples of corruption within state-run companies. Billions of dollars were misappropriated from the state-owned oil company, which resulted in an economic crisis and political instability.

2. Corruption in the Private Sector:

The 2008 global financial crisis was partly caused by fraudulent financial practices and corruption in the banking system. For instance, Lehman Brothers was involved in illegal financial manipulations, which had a devastating impact on the global economy.

3. Global Impact of Corruption:

The Panama Papers (2016) revealed the scale of global corruption and money laundering operations. Many politicians and business leaders were found to have moved financial assets into offshore accounts illegally, which undermined the global financial system.

Importance of Financial Transparency

Ensuring Economic Stability:

Georgia’s commitment to anti-corruption measures and its efforts to improve financial transparency have stabilized its economy. The introduction of e-Government systems, for example, significantly reduced corruption and attracted foreign investment.

Increasing Public Trust in Government:

Sweden and Denmark are among thee countries with the lowest levels of corruption globally. Their transparent financial systems ensure that the public is informed about how government funds are used, fostering greater trust in the political process.

Methods of Combating Corruption

1. Utilizing Technology:

India’s Aadhaar system has enabled the government to directly deliver financial assistance to citizens, reducing the opportunity for corruption and ensuring funds reach their intended recipients.

2. Strengthening Legislation:

In South Korea, former president Park Geun-hye was convicted of corruption, which led to stronger anti-corruption laws and improvements in government accountability.

3. International Cooperation:

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has implemented anti-corruption conventions that help improve global financial transparency. For example, the convention has enforced strict measures to prevent bribery in international business transactions.

4. Public Oversight:

Transparency International plays a crucial role in detecting and exposing corruption. Its annual reports are used to assess and highlight corruption levels across countries, pushing governments to take action.

Combating corruption and promoting financial transparency are essential for the sustainable development of both countries and societies. The implementation of technology, stronger legislation, and international cooperation all contribute to reducing corruption. The success stories of countries like Georgia, Denmark, and India demonstrate that transparency fosters trust, economic stability, and social progress. By improving financial literacy and shaping an anti-corruption culture, we can ensure a stable future for all.

NARZULLOYEVA MUNISA BAKHROMOVNA was born on August 13th, 2006, in Surxandarya region, Sariasia district of the Republic of Uzbekistan. She is currently studying in her first year at the Faculty of Journalism. She has accomplished a lot of achievements. For instance: her articles were published in Germany’s “Raven Cage” and Kenya’s “Mt. Kenya Times” international magazines. Additionally, her articles were published twice on the official website of “Synchronized Chaos” and have been indexed on Google. Also, she is a member of the “All India Council of Technical Skill Development” and a member of “Global Education Ambassador”.