This War

How does it fit? Where does it fit?

A war made for TV, a reluctant war

Filling screens with carefully chosen

Words, words that can half mean or

Not mean at all. It’s newsworthy or

Takes up newsworthy space and time

Fills in between sports championship

Games, becomes a game of its own.

This is what we get when we let things

Go and think we can watch from these

Bleachers, the same ones we watched

From during the last war, last Superbowl

Last NBA finals. We are warrior watchers

Getting ready to go at it once again, like we

Did, like we did, and will probably have to

Do again.

                      Museums

Local museums, the kind historical societies

Put together, play time and place off each other.

A few hundred years ago, there was where we are

Right now, there were people trying to get by, get

On, living their lives creating this history that we

Can view and measure against now. There can be

Things we recognize in the places in the faces of

These folks. First descriptions, then drawings, then

Paintings, and finally photographs taking us through

The ongoing development of both cameras and

The people posing – this is the way a place becomes.

That is how we get to see them, know them. This is

Museum 101, and the locals have caught on. Here

We are, some strangers looking, touring through

Yet another place, and here they are trying to slow

Us a bit and get us to see where we are, not just in

This moment but in a larger context – the context of

Time and the idea of place, their place.

          Book

This book needed to be,

had to become, became

then shouldered its way

to the front of the shelf

with so much to say, so

much to tell us, trippling

on its pages, not mouthing

like the others often did,

often do. This book reads

itself to me, handles it all

so well, like a parent, like

a grandparent reading to

an attentive child, bounces

me on its knee. This book

was meant to be, was most

of the reason the word “book”

was ever said. It shines, it

shadows, it knows the tint of

every emotion available to us.

It fills in the blanks, crosses its

t’s and dots all our i’s, commits

it all to words on its pages, does

us a great service – it summarizes

who we are and what we’re about.

It’s the book that needed to be put

together and then was.

APPRECIATED TEACHER

A bright star shines in my heart,

 You are a classic among people. Your traces are in every letter and word,

 A dear teacher who opened the way to hearts.

We have learned manners and knowledge by following you,

 We have learned every aspect of knowledge.

 You were kind even in your reprimands, 

Now we are learning the lessons of life.

The lessons you taught have paved the way, 

We have laid the foundation for our future dreams.

 The kindness and attention we have received from you always motivates us to justify our trust.

Thank you, teacher, for your kindness, 

Your value to us is high and great. You will live forever in our hearts, My dear teacher, 

I bow to you a thousand times.

Jasmina Abdusaidova was born on July 20, 2011 in Gallaorol district, Jizzakh region. She is a student of district school No. 22.

BRIDGES WALLS AND DOORS

liars(lovers)(artists)

execute an honest

condemned activity

misshaping reality

art is a seed a hedge

love is a need a bridge

that connects a leisure

to unextinguished torture

greenest seeds weed their way

from criminalities

too covert to commit

and too active to stay hid

the right to scream is held

only by us tortured

the will is a wall made

to support or separate

the corpse is tradition’s

usual exhaustion

of palettes and menus

and an unfreedom to choose

love and art are the words

used to mimic or urge

the word is a closed door

but an urge opens the door

COUNTING THE COCKS IN THE HEN HOUSE

How many celebrants have danced in your penetralium?

Your hangar has sheltered how many planes?

COME THE REVOLUTION

Which among you shall being sandwiches?

And who’ll organize the selfies?

Which manifesto would you execute?

“The sky must be purged if the earth is to prevail!”

“The earth must be buried for Heaven to reveal!”

Which Utopia would you provoke?

Which of the pasts should be banned?

But don’t be the freak hot on the runway

or the gangster in church.,

don’t be the priest caught in the whore house,

or banker man in the line-up.

[The democracy entered upon the struggle with dictatorship heavily armed with sandwiches and candles. — Trotsky]

IN MY DEFENSE

And dark it was, yes, and I: alone

but full unwilling to succumb

and weaponed she: silk&smile&cologne.

Yet I still could hold my own

till lastly, Your Honor, did she come

at me with All the moon.

TIRED ONES STILL ALIVE 

Anđela Bunoš, Serbia 

There are hearts you cannot hold,

even if I shared the stories they hide.

My smile belongs to the world,

but my tears are saved for one soul alone.

I wear a smile for all to see, Suzana—

and you should know the truth beneath.

I won’t whisper that you’re rare,

nor confess how deeply I long for you.

For if your eyes can’t find it,

then words would fall in vain.

But I know you feel it still,

for our roads run side by side.

Our souls remember,

our lips confess in silence.

Our gazes speak, weary of life—

yet still, somehow,

you and I remain alive.

Anđela Bunoš was born on October 2, 1998, in Belgrade. She completed her undergraduate and master’s studies at the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Belgrade. She is currently working as a teacher at the “Sava Šumanović” Elementary School in Zemun.

Poem While Watching the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament

on Thursday August 28th, 2025

I want Coco Gauf to sign my balls but her nails are cutlass and saber.

I like her leather jacket, too

and the fact that she named her Labubu

Arthur Flashe leads me to believe

that if the whole tennis thing doesn’t work out

the second act in her American life

might be as Poet Laureate of Boynton, Beach Florida.

Already there’s no watermelon at the deli.

Tomorrow’s Friday maybe we’ll get a round of brie.

I need to pick up my coat with the hummingbird lining

renew my library card, study the pictures

the doctor took of my colon —Appendiceal Orifice

Ileocecal Valve, Splenic Flexure;

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot may have existed before 1665.  

Do beams, rooster wing, from the tip of the Bronx Zoo

to the Hudson Line

the BX12 is sloppy love. Last time

I was in New York we went to the MoMA.

You tried to fuck the Serra box cubes.

I have no clarity of emotion. Things are blowing up.

Right scale, right scope, I memorize the universe on dope.

I guess it’s never too late to dodge August for September.

We lack compelling storylines.

Escape from Alcaraz is a lowercase observation.  

A good night in

is watching that movie

where all the virgins die —this from Austin

who says I should write more symbolically.   

Seething like elm disease, clouds like railroads…

Dachau-black. Too many likes green my bruise.

What the fuck. This is the most serious stanza yet.

We are lying and filthy and volleying for love.

Net cord, colon red, I memorize the universe on dope

and feel the hummingbird fly out of my coat.

Tommy Paul —no, no, I never trust a guy with two first names.

In the Corners of Longing- translated from Arabic

By Dr. Jihane el-Feghali 

See how butterflies drift away in silence when they find no flower in the garden to play with its colors.

And how the breezes sigh when the trees ignore them, searching, in vain, for a branch to cradle them…

See how a melody falls mute when the words abandon it—lost between presence and absence, 

between being and nothingness.

 Childhood glimmers alone in the world of grown-ups

mocked by cunning fingers, watched by eyes that whisper farewell.

Look at the birds, how they changed their path when orchards no longer danced to the rhythm of their songs.

There, in the corners of longing, a small dream scatters despite the pain of separation—racing with time, playing with its shadow, and dozing off in its embrace…

It redraws old meetings—will they ever return?

There, in the corners of longing, a face still lingers on the horizon,

a beating heart bleeding in silence,

words dwelling in untold tales—seeking the echo of a breeze, a voice to return to them the sigh of memory.

And a rose, whose fragrance is the whisper of a wish.

And a star…

When I think of ages past That have floated down the stream Of life and love and death, I feel how free it makes us To pass away.

Rabindranath Tagore

Welcome, readers, to September’s first issue: The Stream of Life, Love, and Death.

Sayani Mukherjee speaks to the weight of the world’s grief, of millions of lost loves over historical time.

Ahmed Miqdad quests for love and peace in Gaza, all in vain. Yucheng Tao bears witness to genocide in Cambodia through his evocative poem where memory and grief echo off the rocks and pages of history. In his piece, self-declared pure idealism leads only to death.

Eva Petropoulou Lianou addresses the issue of domestic violence. Christopher Bernard reflects on humanity’s continual state of conflict among different groups as Patricia Doyne excoriates tolerance for school shootings and immigration enforcement violence in the United States.

Alex Johnson speaks to the need for radical creativity as resistance to the forces of death and authoritarianism. Mary Bone captures moments of human and animal growth and creation. Jacques Fleury discusses the need for humans to coexist equitably with each other and with the wide diversity of natural creatures who share our planet.

Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal speaks to energy, creativity, and the need to support young people. Xudoyqulova Shahzoda highlights Uzbekistan’s efforts to empower the young, the disabled, and women. Rayhona Sobirjonova expresses her gratitude for a caring teacher. John Sheirer’s short story depicts a boy learning a mixture of love and toughness from both a father and stepfather. Bill Tope presents the story of a mother determined to overcome obstacles and keep her family together. Muhammadjonova Muzayyana praises the love and care of her devoted mother. Judge Santiago Burdon’s video presents an ironically humorous tale of a man’s adult son coming out of the closet.

Otaboyeva Zuhra shares how education can transform a young woman’s life. Madina Furkatova highlights efforts to educate and empower young women in Uzbekistan. Muhammed Suhail reflects on the indispensable contributions of women to shaping the early days and teachings of Islam. Bhekisisa Mncube reviews Nthikeng Molele’s novel Breasts, etc, a feminist story of a group of women and a man who photographs them nude. Anna Keiko shares her determination to live out her calling as a poetess, in honor of the many female trailblazers throughout history.

Rahimova Dilfuza Abdinabiyevna shares ways to heighten students’ communication competence. Boboqulova Durdona outlines ways to engage students in active learning. Sevinch Mukhammadiyeva talks up a student leadership conference she attended, “Office of the Future.” Panoyeva Jasmina O’tkirovna highlights advantages of blended classrooms and self-study combined with instruction. Nafosat Jovliyeva discusses roles for technology in language learning. Dilshoda Jurayeva urges students to learn and adopt self-discipline as a study tool. Janna Hossam discusses the problem of burnout in gifted children.

Abigail George speaks to finding and claiming beauty and selfhood in the face of mental illness. Tursunbayeva Shohida Baxtiyor traces the history of diagnostic methods in psychiatry. Ana Petrovic speaks to the confluence of forces and emotions rising up in the human psyche. Brian Barbeito journeys through real and surreal worlds to tend and befriend the different and the marginalized. Hua Ai speaks to the wildness still inherent in our feelings and encounters with urban nature. Joan McNerney draws on elegant nature metaphors to describe love and the transitory states of life. Mark Young speaks to growth and transformation in our bodies and the natural world. Anakha S.J. compares maintaining feelings of love to tending a flower. Mahbub Alam presents a joyful couple forgetting themselves among the beauty of nature and their blossoming romance. Jerome Berglund and Christina Chin’s tan-renga present an adorable take on modern relationships. Mesfakus Salahin’s extensive nature metaphors speak to the psychology of a lover.

Brian Barbeito reflects on a random capricious day with various encounters, positive and negative, with people and nature. Chimezie Ihekuna expresses cynicism about the hypocrisy inherent in many relationships, Raisa Anan Mustakin laments people’s growing isolation and separation from each other, and Alan Catlin processes work anxiety through dreams while out in pastoral greenery. Nageh Ahmed evokes feelings of both love and loneliness under the moonlight as Wazed Abdullah finds inner peace in lunar light. Mykyta Ryzhykh evokes efforts of love in the face of the loss of innocence. Duane Vorhees speaks to the vulnerability and unpredictability inherent in love.

Vohidova Ruxshona discusses the internal composition of Saturn and the wonder of the far-off universe. Don Bormon expresses his fascination with a constantly changing cloudy sky. Abdurrahim Is’haq’s artwork of a door shrouded in shadow and sunlight evokes mystery and wonder.

Abdulboqiyev Muhammadali turns to medicine as a subject, sharing some of the warning signs of a stroke. Eshmurodova Sevinch discusses how modern financial technology can improve the functioning of global economic systems.

Mathematics is also part of our physical universe, and Mamadaliyeva Durdona shares methods for solving systems of linear equations. Mardonova Marjona finds the beauty in each season, in change, as David Sapp revels in “relentless” natural elegance. Nikhita Nithin sways with the wind during a neighborhood festival. Nilufar Mo’ydinova offers suggestions on how to live sustainably with nature, suggesting improved environmental practices for the publishing industry.

Sushant Thapa writes of finding happiness wherever he can in life as Stephen Jarrell Williams enjoys a tender moment with his wife and Mahbub Alam loses himself in the joy of nature and love. Maja Milojkovic speaks to a transcendent love, present even when the couple is apart, echoed in endless mirrorings on water’s surface. Summer Kim takes joy in transitory childhood moments and memories. Su Yun’s Chinese bilingual elementary students write joyfully about nature and play. Sharifova Saidaxon reminisces about her happy childhood as Xo’jamiyorova Gulmira remembers her elementary school days and classmates.

Dilnoza Bekmurodova reflects on how she will always hear the unmistakable call of her home. O’g’iloy Bunyodbekovna Muhammadjonova sings the praises of her radiant Uzbek homeland. Maftuna Rustamova finds comfort and peace in her heritage as Ozodbek Narzullayev joins in the reflections on Uzbekistan. Nomozaliyeva Hilolaxon analyzes how the film “Suv Yoqalab” reflects Uzbek cultural values. Maxmudjonova Begoyim considers the weight and grace of her Turkish heritage as Dr. Priyanka Neogi shares a poetically beautiful tale of the Indian flag. Eva Petropoulou interviews Greek sculptor and painter Konstantinos Fais, who is examining the myth of Hercules to revive classical civic virtue for modern Greeks.

Uzbekistan’s writers go beyond heritage to relate how the nation is currently a source of pride, as Jumaniyozova Nazokat discusses the potential for wellness tourism in Uzbekistan. Madinabonu Mamatxonova describes rapid Uzbek economic growth driven by entrepreneurship. Xurshida Abdisattorova highlights the accomplishments of an Uzbek mixed martial arts coach. Meanwhile, Shahnoza Ochildiyeva outlines what Central Asian countries, and the rest of the world, can learn from Finland.

J.J. Campbell explores different sides of memories: nostalgia, loss and mourning, and the quest to separate oneself from toxic or false aspects of the past. Brooks Lindberg laments the death of glaciers through a poem that grants nature a measure of agency even in melting. Jake Cosmos Aller reflects on historical revision at the Smithsonian Museum.

Grzegorz Wroblewski’s fresh installment of asemic poems evoke the aesthetic of language as a part of human culture. Ken Gosse’s ars poetica defends the power of rhyme and meter in a world of free verse. Graciela Noemi Villaverde celebrates the mysterious and poetic works of Jorge Luis Borges. Dr. Jernail S. Anand argues for the primacy of literature as a study and discipline to help us return to our humanity as Mirta Liliana Ramirez does something similar, depicting dance as an act of love to add beauty to life.

Michael Robinson shares, in his final piece after ten years of writing for Synchronized Chaos Magazine, the family and sanctuary he has found through his faith.

Susie Gharib draws on historical mythology to explore our place in the world and our vulnerabilities as humans. Patrick Sweeney’s tiny vignettes capture distinct moments in human life: wonder, confusion, humor, or just us pondering being alive. Taylor Dibbert relates the paradox of what happens when we care too much – or too little – about money. Santiago Burdon explores human nature in his tale of a chance encounter on an airplane.

Finally, Sarvinoz Orifova reflects on the nature of hope and the power of holding on to it during challenging times.