I don’t have the strength to volunteer in the frontline
All I have
Is the patience to stay at home as much as possible
Is the perseverance to make do with whatever I have
Is the desire to learn something new each day to pass time
Is the contentment that I can be just safe in isolation
Freedom comes with responsibility
If I can’t do anything to help, I can at least try not to be a part of the problem.
Moon
If only the Moon is greater
A celestial with much power
All the planets swimming in milk
Warmed by Sun inside black silk
May your reflected light shine
Against the drunkness of wine
Uncover the hidden secret line
Each great ball that mutely whine
Open up each soul to perceive
Let no word nor act to deceive
Purge out anger and fear to leave
Shield against any evils to receive
Ambitious greed to seal away
No confusion led out to sway
Only compassion here to stay
If Moon has power in her ray
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.
Synchronized Chaos Magazine expresses our sorrow for the lives and property lost in the Los Angeles wildfires. We invite people to visit here to learn about how to send cards of encouragement to fire crews and to donate books to replace school library collections that have burned.
In March we will have a presence at the Association of Writing Programs conference in L.A. which will include an offsite reading at Chevalier’s Books on Friday, March 28th at 6pm. All are welcome to attend!
Contributor Eva Petropoulou Lianou shares the Caesurae Collective Society’s call for submissions of poetry about consciousness.
The anthology seeks to weave a fabric of poetic expressions that resonate with the theme of consciousness—exploring the mind, the self, and the infinite cosmos—weaving together poetic voices that reflect on what it means to be aware, alive, and interconnected. Submissions due February 10th, 2025,information here.
Also, World Wide Writer Web invites submissions of short stories for their annual contest. Information here.
Finally, contributor Chimezie Ihekuna seeks a publisherfor his children’s story collection Family Time. Family Time! Is a series that is aimed at educating, entertaining and inspiring children between the ages of two and seven years of age. It is intended to engage parents, teachers and children with stories that bring a healthy learning relationship among them.
This issue explores how we see and interpret our world through pieces that draw our attention to various focal points and take a closeup or wider angle view.
Some people zoom in on a particular place or image, using that as a meditation to begin deeper thoughts.
Sayani Mukherjee evokes an island’s lost grandeur through describing historical ruins while acknowledging the destination’s current reality. Student group 2123, from Uzbekistan, contributes a group reflection on their trip to Samarkand.
Dario creates a musical combination inspired by the complex culture of New Orleans. Kylian Cubilla Gomez’ photography focuses in on bits of play and whimsy in toys and in daily life.
Precious Moses draws on the West African iroko tree as a symbol of maturity and strength in hard times. Rahmat A. Muhammad expresses hope through the birth of a young sister in a world touched by darkness and pain.
Mashhura Usmonova expresses gratitude for her teacher and for education, which has allowed her to write as a container for her emotions.
Dr. Jernail Singh offers thoughts on poetry: how he appreciates cohesion and meaning as well as pretty language. Noah Berlatsky gives a dramatic take on the excision needed for the creative process. Daniel De Culla offers up a satirical and humorous take on writing generated through artificial intelligence as Texas Fontanella blasts the firehose of words and letters in our general direction. Jerome Berglund and Shane Coppage’s collaborative haiku include humor and clever twists of phrase.
Jacques Fleury poetizes about how knowing vital history can protect you from being erased by others’ fear or hatred.
Maria Miraglia, as interviewed by Eva Petropoulou Lianou, speaks to the importance of literacy and education in world peacemaking efforts.
Loki Nounou calls out a culture of sexism in which violating women’s rights and their bodies becomes normalized. Narzulloyeva Munisa Bakhromovna highlights the critical need to stamp out global corruption.
Mahbub Alam laments the killing in Gaza and hopes that everyone who dies makes it into a better place. Graciela Noemi Villaverde also mourns the destruction in Gaza, personifying the land and culture into a living being to highlight its pain and beauty. Lidia Popa speaks directly to the heart and conscience of the world in her call for peace in Gaza. Maja Milojkovic revels in the beauty of peace, for Gaza and everywhere. Wazed Abdullah honors the quiet and dignified resilience of Gazans as Don Bormon affirms that the place will recover and heal.
Laurette Tanner charts and maps her journeys, hoping this wisdom will carry over into developing ways to lessen the suffering of the homeless.
Shoxijahon Urunov inspires us to protect the tenderness of our hearts. Nilufar Anvarova’s piece encourages us to follow our hearts and show kindness to each other. Eva Petropoulou Lianou expresses her human vulnerability and desire for understanding and healing. Mesfakus Salahin’s poem speaks to love but also to mystery: how complex we all are and whether we can truly know another.
Stephen Jarrell Williams crafts haiku vignettes on the search for bits of hope and connection in a large modern cityscape.
Mashhura Usmonova expresses gratitude for her teacher and for education, which has allowed her writing as a container for her emotions. Raxmonova Durdona offers up a tender tribute for a caring and deceased uncle.
Maria Teresa Liuzzo’s poetry illuminates deep feeling: passionate love and the inevitability of human suffering. Mykyta Ryzhykh digs deep for meaning in a world littered with death as Orzigul Sherova urges readers to make the best use of their limited time. Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa also encourages making the most of life, holding onto faith and hope in a confusing world.
Scott C. Holstad explores themes of disillusionment, introspection, and the search for love and meaning in life. Tagrid Bou Merhi’s elegant words wander through a quest for identity and meaning in a seemingly empty world. In a semicomic short story, Bill Tope fears losing memory and mental capacity. J.J. Campbell writes of numbness, aging, and loss. He connects with others, but even these interactions are tinged with sadness, longing, and thoughts of mortality.
Audrija Paul tells the story of a heart broken when a person reads more into a relationship than is there. Taylor Dibbert describes a relationship that ended as impulsively as it began. Z.I. Mahmud explores generational family dysfunction in his essay on Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts.
Chris Butler’s short poems probe themes of identity and love and our relationships to nature and technology.
Alex S. Johnson proffers a mythic tale where a hero foils the unholy plots of power-hungry gods and wild natural forces.
Rustamova Muqaddas relates twists of fate on a hiking trip, the uneasy balance of humans and wild nature.
Joseph Ogbonna writes of the majestic richness of the Himalayas as Gadoyboyeva Gulsanam describes the power and transience of a rainstorm. Ilhomova Mohichehra conveys the joy of children playing outside on a snowy day. John Brantingham’s short story shows a couple re-evaluating how much they have in common while watching muskrats go about their business.
Mark Young’s surreal poetry touches on climate change, politics, nature, and job hunting, as Su Yun’s work explores time, nature, identity, and memory.
Duane Vorhees’ work addresses life, death, and the physical and sensual aspects of our existence with wit and humor. Marjona Jo’rayeva Baxtiyorovna offers blessings for weddings as Nate Mancuso’s tough and ironic gangster tale takes place in the world of calm seniors and pickleball. Alan Catlin presents sets of poems in three parts, each looking at aspects of aging, nature, and art.
Tom McDade braids vignettes and images from life together with artworks from different eras. Peter Cherches’ vignettes present character sketches of people on journeys, literal or emotional.
Reading this issue is a journey of its own, and we invite you to savor these contributions.
Touch
A mahogany of lost leaden high
The namesake kept its promise
The turbulence of sea horse runner
The silver disk is a little low tonight
For Baroque's touch of medias res
The high strung of novelty
The joyous currents of sea beds
Leaves me open stranded
In an Island of Mediterranean blue
I sing and hum the national green
The olive touch of Texas to Britain
Ghettos land in the islands of poverty
I skimmed a solistic touch.
“If you love life, don’t waste your time, because time creates life,” said one of the philosophers. The most valuable thing in this world for a person is time. Time is the amount of time we have the energy to do any work or activity. A person who knows how to take advantage of this opportunity is a person who is able to use his time effectively. Because it cannot be stopped or reversed. A baby born just yesterday will go to kindergarten tomorrow, then to school, then to study and, you see, he will start an independent life. In the meantime, he doesn’t even notice that time has flown by. Time doesn’t wait for anyone, or you can’t worry about tomorrow. It should be considered and managed as luck. Only then a person will not feel sorry for the past time and life. A person who knows the value of time has the right to be great.
Time is like a great luck. It is necessary not to lose this luck, but to make good use of it. After all, a person comes to this world only once, and no one but Allah knows how much life and how much time there is in it. Neither his parents, nor doctors, nor others. Every moment can be the last for a person. Therefore, it is necessary to value time, use it wisely and manage it without wasting it.
So how do we manage time? Isn’t it a controlled object?
That’s right, time is not a controlled thing, it’s not even a thing. But time is managed, how do you say? We have often heard expressions like time allocation, time planning, and time sharing. Why do we use these expressions if time is not controlled?
We are always
– tomorrow I will do that work, today I will go to this place, and now I will do these lessons – we manage our time, that is, we allocate it to our important work. With this, we will make good use of our time. We will manage it properly.
But what if it’s the other way around? What if we can’t share it? Or what if we spend it only planning and not actually doing anything?
Then we will be defeated, that is, time will control us, not us. We are wasting our precious time given to us by God. As a result, we cannot leave a good name or good memories in this world. Instead of regretting wasting our time tomorrow, we should learn to plan, allocate, and manage it right now. We should appreciate time when we have time, not when we don’t have time. After all, time is a priceless blessing. Therefore, every person should make good use of the time given to him, he should never stop learning and learning a craft. We can earn back the money we spent, but we can’t get back the time we lost. Let’s appreciate God by thanking him for every breath and every day. Because this time is a deposit for all of us!
May your life be filled with light, May your dreams come true. On your most beautiful and joyful day, May your weddings be blessed.
May the groom have honor and devotion, May the bride have a beautiful smile. May no one cast an evil eye on your happiness, May your weddings be blessed!
Today, relatives and friends gather, May your faces always be bright. May everyone envy you, May your weddings be blessed!
Stage set of a mostly dark living room with blue velvet and wooden chairs, houseplants, and lamps.
In your view does Mrs. Alving mark the emergence of the modern woman in western theatre? Assess her characterization especially in the light of her conduct with her husband in the past and her son at the end of the play.
Two men and two women, in red and blue gowns and petticoats, and two men in suits, on this stage set.
Mrs. Helen Alving is a pioneer radical progressive stalwart feminist embodied character of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts and her cowardice and/or foolery with the cloaking of darkness of past life is tainted with scandals. Mrs. Alving vouchsafes the seduction scene of her beloved son’s flirtations with Regina in the vein of her closetting Captain Alving’s promiscuity with the domestic hearth stewardess parlour maid Johanne. Mrs Alving is a hybrid and fluid rebellious spirit adhered to keeping up with appearances in the western tradition.
The impending dooming catastrophe of upholding a fictitious pair of perfect couple is a gobsmack revelation foreshadowing Oswald and Regina’s unbeknownst incestuous romance. Phantom spectral love-making of the preceding generation reincarnates into the half-siblings unrequited love as embodied by the poltergeist alter egos. However, Mrs. Alving insists Pastor Manders in refraining from intrusion into the tempestuous seduction analogizing her late husband’s surreptitious extra-marital affairs. Helen Alving is a woman of education and woman of refinement despite a microcosm of absurdity, vulgarity, coarseness, egotism and debauchery. She nonetheless harbours courtesy and dignity while adjusting towards transcendence.
Despite Eurocentric male dominated patriarchal cosmos, Mrs. Alving transcends gender barriers of race and class through salvaging familial relationships. Her resolution to preserve the sanctity of the father son relationship is a marvelous throwback to severe father son conflict in nuclear families. Mrs. Helen’s abominable husband’s crestfallen lechery should not be revealed in the microcosmic world, so she disguises a stance of absolute blissful marital alliance and deports her son Oswald with scholarship abroad. Mrs. Alving endeavours painstakingly to protecting Oswald from a poisoned home life. This joyful illusion is furthered by the authority and decree of Pastor Manders’ acquaintanceship as foreshadowed by deemphasizing of lurking hidden past ghostly events.
Investigative series of a speculative fiction and detective literature, drama of contemporary life is portrayed by Henrik Ibsen in the Ghosts’ through Mrs. Helen Alving’s excruciating quest for self-fulfillment. Mrs. Alving’s heroic endeavour to establish orphanage in the legacy of her late husband is lost in the flames and burnt down to cinders, alluding to the literal and figurative bursting of spilled beans. Helen Alving’s abolishment of her abhorrent husband’s scandals through redemptive establishment thus becomes awry. Her family heirloom is relinquished of the life giving force because of the hereditary sexually transmitted diseases morbidity. Corruption and pollution afterall haunts as a cascade of infernal torment for all that eventually compels Mrs. Helen Alving with a sadomasochistic dilemma in administering overdose of morphines to end Oswald’s intolerable nightmarish macabre. The poltergeist soul of Captain Alving resurrects with a vengeance to haunt Mrs. Helen Alving in the alter ego Oswald she reckons, has vouchsafed from the truth.
“Ibsen’s Ghosts shares a problem with many contemporary naturalistic plays; it has some, but very little relevance in our world today.” Do you agree? Support your answer with an analysis of the treatment of any two issues in the play.
Or
(Middle aged couple and a younger man in a suit on stage)
“All your life you’ve been governed by an incorrigible spirit of wilfulness. Instinctively you’ve been drawn to all that’s undisciplined and lawless.” Critically explain the commentary of the speaker.
Henrik Ibsen’s modern European realistic problem play drama Gengangere or The Revenants (The Ones Who Return) is a satirical tragedy of contemporary nineteenth century Denmark and Norway’s “events that repeats themselves” concerning religion and morality, adultery and profligacy, incest and euthanasia and venereal epidemiological ramifications. The Ghosts is a firestorm of public outcry because of a controversial forbidden storyline of venereal diseases and syphilis infestation associated with unbridled lovemaking in debauchery and promiscuity.
Henrik Ibsen vindicates the crusade for unravelling a swashbuckler within the frontiers of modern western dramaturgical tradition and thus Ibsenites preoccupy themselves in battling hackneyed ideologies of the malevolent taboos propagated by orthodoxical society. None of the transformative radical policies of modern healthcare and medicine of the then controversially stigmatized sexually transmitted diseases were prevailingly conferred upon the vulnerable including Captain Alving and Oswald Alving. As a consequence, continental citizenry of the civilized world considered kindling fires on the syphilis affected patients even from their funeral pyres. Harrowing and heart wrenching sadomasochism trembles the innocent characters Mrs. Helen Alving and Pastor Manders analogous of Shakespeare’s shuddering in Macbeth and in Lady Macbeth’s taint of scandal.
Mrs. Helen Alving’s upbraiding for unfulfillment of cuckolding with Pastor Manders; her upbraiding of mismarriage adjustment with the dissolute husband Captain Alving; her upbraiding of the incestuous sibling lust bonding brimming between Oswald and Regina are realistically depicted as dysfunctional family relationships in contemporary patriarchal and misogynistic cultural Eurocentric ideology. “The sins of the fathers are visited on his children” extrapolates the trajectory of hereditary sexually transmitted diseases passed down from ancestral generation to the descendant generation as ushered in the polemic statement by Oswald. Captain Alving bequeathed the legacy of debauchery and dissolution to his heir, Oswald. Oswald’s frozen heart and stricken soul cannot idolize spatiotemporality of phenomenal mirocosmic boudoir offered at the expense of “my mind has broken down—-gone to pieces—-I shall never be able to work anymore!” Dreaded malady of the twilight of the brain is envisioned by such suicidal rhetorics of the son under the mother’s upbringing as expostulated in the remarks: “I, who gave you life” … “A nice kind of life it was that you gave me, and now you shall have it back again.”
(Young man in slacks and a jacket speaks with an older man in a suit on stage. Woman is seated in a red dress).
Further Reading, References and Endnotes
Henrik Ibsen, W. D. Howells, The North American Review, Jul. 1906, Volume 183, No. 596 (Jul. 1906), pp. 1-14, The University of Northern Iowa
Stripped Cover Lit Youtube Vlog Review Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen: Summary, Interpretation and Analysis
40 MRS H.F.LORD on the phases of the soul in Ghosts 1890 149
44 An anonymous comment on the depravity of Ibsen, Edward, Aveling and Ghosts, Saturday Review 1891 157
Ghosts (Royalty 1891)
60 GEORGE MOORE sees Ghosts in Paris 1891 182
61 Unsigned notice by CLEMENT SCOTT, Daily Telegraph 1891 187
62 Editorial, Daily Telegraph 1891 189
63 Unsigned notice, Daily News 1891 193
64 Unsigned notice, Daily Chronicle 1891 195
65 Unsigned notice, Evening News and Post 1891 196
66 Anonymous satirical poem, Evening News and Post 1891 200
67 Ibsen and real life: report of a murder trial, Evening Standard
