Poetry from Mesfakus Salahin

Middle aged South Asian woman in a pink and white checkered shirt, blond highlights in his dark hair, sunglasses, a ponytail, looking off the distance towards the sun on a lake.

I Walk Into Your Heart

I see everytime everything in your eyes

It is fair and fresh

I breathe in your love

That rebirths my heart 

The art of your living gives me shadow 

It is green and pleasant 

I walk into your heart

The road to your heart is natural 

It is long and endless

It is like a bed of roses

I never get tired

You make all the seasons spring for me

You are spring in all seasons

I hear the whisperings of the flowers

They tell me the story of your beauty

They want to steal your beauty

I ask the moon about her beauty

She tells me the mystery 

I read the north breeze 

There I get the poems of your fragrance

I asked Vinci about Monalisa 

He was wordless

As Monalisa is painted love

I asked Jibanananda about Bonolata

He was in dream

As Bonolata lives in dream

I visit your soul and see real happiness

You are real and our love is real.

Short story from Nosirova Gavhar

Central Asian teen girl with long dark hair, brown eyes, and a light colored floral blouse. She's outside on a lawn with grass and trees.

A Cow

The sun, which has lost its summer power, barely shines, and it was not even warm. The coldness of the day moved to the heart of the old woman sitting in the corner of the yard. The heart of the old woman who lost her only child a few years ago was frozen, as if facing the ice. The old man, who could not keep silent about her condition, one day brought a white cow with red spots, which was very beautiful.

The old woman looked at the cow for a long time and approached it and started stroking it. As the days gave way to the months, the old woman loved the cow like her own child and did not stay away from her. The cow also gave white and delicious milk every day only for the old man and the old woman. The old woman was struggling with the cow, and the cow was listening to her.

Towards evening, dark clouds surrounded the gloomy sky. The sky was constantly roaring with grassy streaks. The old woman was upset and thought about her cow. After a sleepless night, she ran towards the corner of the yard. Except for her eyes, her face was white, her lips were trembling. There is no cow. The yard wall was broken, apparently the cow was stolen. The old woman was crying, and the old man ran to the street. No matter how hard he tried, he could not find the cow.

When he came home, the old woman was lying on the edge of the yard. The old man got scared and helped the old woman, the old woman was sobbing: «my child is in a bad condition», «he is not well». Hearing that the old woman was not well, the neighbor came out two days later to prepare a hearty, meaty meal. Then the old woman:

– Thank you so much. But I can’t have this food.

– Why?

– You said the other day that you and your children have not tasted salt for two days, that you are living in hunger, and that it is difficult to support a family without a husband. I do not want to eat their food. Give it to your children. I will be happy.

The neighbor, whose eyes were on the ground and her face was red, was sitting in silence, unable to open her mouth.

– «We have everything,» – she said without raising her head.

When the old woman said «Ok» and opened the food brought by the neighbor, her heart was pounding, and the tears in her eyes formed a stream on her face. In a trembling voice:

– «My child» – she said as she fell to the ground, seeing the meat of her cow, the death of her child, whom she lost a few years ago, was embodied before her eyes.

But this time she could not bear the separation…

Nosirova Gavhar was born on August 16, 2000 in the city of Shahrisabz, Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan. Today, she is a third-year student of the Faculty of Philology of the Samarkand State University of Uzbekistan. Being a lover of literature, she is engaged in writing stories and poems. Her creative works have been published in Uzbek and English. In addition, she is a member of «All India Council for Development of Technical Skills», «Juntosporlasletras» of Argentina, «2DSA Global Community». Winner of the «Korablznaniy» and «TalentyRossii» contests, holder of the international C1 level in the Russian language, Global Education ambassador of Wisdom University and global coordinator of the Iqra Foundation in Uzbekistan. «Magic pen holders» talented young group of Uzbekistan, «KayvaKishor», «Friendship of people», «Raven Cage», «The Daily Global Nation», Argentina;s «Multi Art-6», Kenya’s «Serenity: A compilation of art and literature by women» contains creative works in the magazine and anthology of poets and writers.

Poetry from Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa

Light skinned Filipina woman with reddish hair, a green and yellow necklace, and a floral pink and yellow and green blouse.
Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa

You and I are One

Am I prepared to cross over the threshold line?

Threshold line that will, somehow, humanity define

Humanity defined, as from heavenly God divine

From heavenly God, by a line drawn thinly fine

What is it that distinguished God from man?

Man designed from God’s image as human

Human, that for his sin, from heaven did ban

Ban. yet a salvation for us all, God did plan

If we were truly from God’s image formed

Formed, why now our souls became deformed?

Deformed, when pride in worldly egos stormed

Stormed, as arrogance in our hearts wormed

From a tiny single atom, we were all born

Born, yet our brothers and sisters, we scorn

Scorn and abused, until the cords were torn

Torn from promise of salvation we were sworn

Why must we, hatred and violence in others fan?

Fan the flames of greed and sufferings of man

Man, that is born alone and without a clan

A clan that divides, though You and I are One

Am I prepared to cross over the threshold line?

Threshold line that somehow, my humanity will define

Humanity defined, for my heavenly God divine

My heavenly God, who opened a door so fine

Dark Cloud

When stars are unseen

And nights are cold

Hearts may go frozen

Unheard phrases told

Winds howl loud, unruly

Silencing nature’s beauty

Old trees watch with pity

Drowned stalks of lily

Moon hidden behind dark cloud

No strength to protect her stars

Dawn creeps to end cruel wars

Sun rises, mighty and proud

Peace surrounds the mountain

Yet frogs, fish corpses ferment

What has earth at night gain?

Free compost, all decent

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.



Poetry from Faleeha Hassan

Young Central Asian woman with a green headscarf and a dark colored blouse and brown hair and eyes.
Faleeha Hassan

Lipstick

A Babylonian once told me:

When my name bores me,

I throw it in the river

And return renewed!

* * * * * *

Basra existed

Even before al-Sayyab viewed its streets

Bathed in poetry

As verdant as

A poet’s heart when her

Prince pauses trustfully to sing

While sublime maidens dance–

Brown like mud in the orchards

Soft like mud in the orchards

Scented with henna like mud in the orchards—

And a poem punctuates each of their pirouettes as

They walk straight to the river.

I’ve discovered no place in the city broader than Five Mile.

He declared:

I used to visit there night and day,

When sun and moon were locked in intimate embrace.

Then they quarreled.

2

The Gulf’s water was sweet,

Each ship would unload its cargo,

And crew members enjoyed a bite of an apple

And some honey.

The women were radiant;

So men’s necks swiveled each time ladies’ shadows

Moved beneath the palms’ fronds.

These women needed no adornment;

One look sufficed to coax you to cling to life,

But their purses catered to beauty.

* * * * * *

Snipers

Infantrymen

Sailors

Bedded gems, emeralds.

Their souls persuaded each of them to gaze at these belles

And to break as humbly as waves at their feet.

Worldly men cast their ancestors’ laws from their backs

And set off to draw eyes on the ports’ gates.

Beneath each window

Slumbered a witness to a lover crucified by love

But who died singing

Before you hear the rumble of trains.

3

Cooing laughter calms your spirit.

You shan’t be chided for helping yourself to a whisper.

That man told me everything lipstick confided to him,

Urging him to reveal it!

* * * * * *

This was before the city donned black

To the end of its rivers;

Before crows’ caws blended with blood’s color over our dawns,

Before our streets bedded down early like Mukruk hens.

Women have stripped off their beauty,

Their spirits are embittered,

Their lips are cracked,

And you won’t find even the last stub of

Lipstick in their purses.

By Faleeha Hassan

Translated by William Hutchins

Faleeha Hassan 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 a Pulitzer Prize Nominee for 2018, and a Pushcart Prize Nominee for 2019. She’s a member of the International Writers and Artists Association. Winner of the Women of Excellence Inspiration award from SJ magazine 2020, and the Winner of the Grand Jury Award (the Sahitto International Award for Literature 2021). She served on the Women of Excellence selection committees for 2023, was a winner of a Women In The Arts award in 2023 and a Member of Who’s Who in America 2023. She’s on the Sahitto Award’s judging panel for 2023 and a cultural ambassador between Iraq and the US.

Poetry from Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai

Middle aged South Asian man looks intently at the camera through reading glasses. He's in a brown chair in a suit with a dark coat, burgundy tie, and light blue silk collared shirt.

SOMEONE SHOULD TELL ME!

In that glittering touch of my dreams

Something new rises in my heart

Perhaps a smiling bud that giggles 

In the deep and dark forest of my mind .

My new poetry sings and vanishes 

Behind innumerable hopeless hopes 

Someone should tell me in a dialect 

My river of love flows in a new rhythm

And the sea of joy maddened in waves

I find not what new hue of her form

Can draw my image eternally lavish ;

Why is she acting all secretive today?

LET THE NIGHT COME!

Let the night come, my heart burns

I miss you in the middle of my life

Your love has destroyed me in toto

I have been a slave to your love

The pity is I’m neither living nor dying

You have turned my life like a hell

My heart is such I can’t ignore you

It hurts badly for the wound is deep

My eyes do cry; let them roll tears

Let the dark night come again 

I want to sleep in your slim arms.

NEVER MIND!

A chasm does open up as all roads fail

Why any cure now for a broken heart

Happiness always far-fetched for me

May you be blessed with it as you go

I pray fervently you do prosper in life

May your hopes and dreams come true

May you be free from my nothingness 

I’ve closed all my roads to come to you

Never mind, simply ignore and walk away

Be progressive and productive all way.

JUST IN A MOMENT!

While walking alone I saw you other day

It rained and you got lost somewhere

Like a dream you passed away from me

Just in a moment you entered my life

Your pain did break my heart instantly 

I clearly remember your wet face then

I smell the rain drops down the memory 

I feel you’re with me same as before

I’m crazy thinking about none but you

Someone’s evil eye obstructed my love

My lips were silent, yet heart cried a lot

I could say nothing for you aren’t mine.

Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai (DOB 07/06/1973) is a passionate Indian Author-cum- bilingual poet while a tremendous lecturer of English by profession in the Ganjam district of Odisha.

He is an accomplished source of inspiration for young generation of India .His free verse on Romantic and melancholic poems appreciated by everyone. He belongs to a small typical village Nandiagada of Ganjam District, the state of Odisha.

After schooling he studied intermediate and Graduated In Kabisurjya Baladev vigyan Mahavidyalaya then M A in English from Berhampur University PhD in language and literature and D.litt from Colombian poetic house from South America. He promotes his specific writings around the world literature and trades with multiple stems that are related to current issues based on his observation and experiences that needs urgent attention.

He is an award winning writer who has achieved various laurels from the circle of writing worldwide. His free verse poems not only inspires young readers but also the ready of current time. His poetic symbol is right now inspiring others, some of which are appreciated by laurels of India and across the world. Many of his poems been translated in different Indian languages and got global appreciation. Lots of well wishes for his upcoming writings and success in the future.

He is an award winning poet author of many best seller books. Recently he is awarded Rabindra nath Tagore and Gujarat Sahitya Academy for the year 2022 from Motivational Strips . A gold medal from world union of poets France & winner Of Rahim Karims world literary prize 2023.The government of Odisha Higher Education Department appointed him as a president to Governing body of Padmashree Dr. Ghanashyam Mishra Sanskrit Degree College, Kabisurjyanagar. Winner of ” HYPERPOEM ” GUNIESS WORLD RECORD 2023.

Recently he was awarded from SABDA literary Festival at Assam. Highest literary honour from Peru contributing world literature 2024.Prestigious Cesar Vellejo award 2024 Completed 200 Epistolary poems with American poet Kristy Raines. Books. 1.Psalm of the Soul. 2.Rise of New Dawn. 3.secret Of Torment. 4.Everything I never told you. 5.Vision Of Life National Library Kolkata. 6.100 Shadows of Dream. 7.Timeless Anguish. 8.Voice of Silence. 9.I cross my heart from east to west . Epistolary poetry with Kristy Raines

Poetry from Shaxribonu Qoziyeva

Central Asian woman with a white and black headscarf and a hooded white sweater and a lanyard around her neck.

The Beacon of Knowledge

In halls where echoes softly tread,
A world of wisdom gently spreads.
Where minds awake and spirits soar,
Education opens every door.

A child’s first steps in learning’s grace,
A teacher’s patience lights their face.
From letters formed to stories told,
A bright future begins to unfold.

The books are gateways, vast and wide,
To realms of knowledge, far and wide.
In pages worn and pens that glide,
Dreams are nurtured, side by side.

The sum of all our hopes and fears,
Reflected in the students’ tears.
For every challenge met with might,
Brings forth a dawn, a clearer sight.

In science labs and art rooms bright,
In every quest for deeper light.
The seeds of thought are gently down,
In every heart a wisdom grows.

Through history’s lens and language’s song,
We find our place where we belong.
In numbers’ dance and nature’s law,
We see the world in silent awe.

For education’s gentle hand,
Shapes the mind to understand.
In every lesson, deep and true,
Lies the strength to start anew.

So let us honor every mind,
With paths to knowledge, unconfined.
For in each scholar’s fervent quest,
Lies the hope to be our best.

Qo’ziyeva Shaxribonu Muzaffar qizi was born on September 5, 2004, in Mirishkor district, Qashqadaryo region. Currently she is a 3rd year student in the Mathematics and Informatics program at Shahrisabz State Pedagogical Institute. She is also a mathematics teacher at School №19 in Shahrisabz district. She is learning Turkish.

Poetry from Madinaxon Meliqoziyeva

Central Asian woman with a black and white headscarf and tan blouse with buttons. She's in front of an accordion-folded room divider.

The Heartbeat of a Poem

In the quiet of a silent room,
Where thoughts like whispers softly bloom,
A poet’s heart begins to weave,
A tapestry of dreams, believe.

Each word a thread, each line a beam,
Woven into a vivid dream.
Emotions dance, raw and true,
In the gentle flow of ink and hue.

A poem speaks what hearts conceal,
It captures all we deeply feel.
In metaphors and similes,
It sings of life’s sweet symphonies.

The rhythm is the heartbeat strong,
That carries us through joy and wrong.
With every rhyme and cadence fine,
We find our souls in every line.

It paints with words, a world anew,
Where skies are not just simply blue.
In stanzas rich, with depth and grace,
We glimpse the beauty of a face.

A poem is a silent song
That lingers in our minds for so long.
It’s in the laughter and the tears,
A timeless echo through the years.

So let us cherish every verse,
For in its lines, our lives immerse.
In every poem, pure and bright,
We find our truth, our guiding light.

Madinaxon Meliqoʻziyeva was born in 1995 in Buvayda district of Ferghana region. She has a great passion for poetry and creativity, with many dreams and aspirations. In her free time, she writes poetry, short stories, and articles.