Into the Valley After Gil Vicente I go out into the valley, out into the valley, I go, where a nightingale sings of lost hope. I go out into the valley, where bitter lemons grow. I go out into the valley where my rosy cheeks have enough of the sun. There is no fruit for my labor. There is no love. I go out into the valley, out into the valley I go, as I sing of false hope. My gentle skin burns. I’m too pale for the sun. I go out into the valley where the nightingale sings the saddest of songs. * 57 Going on 60 I am not only alive and in the present, I am not in the future and the past is gone. My memory is the worst of all. I might as well be dead. I have two years left. I have one toe in the grave. That is the future. I may not have two years left. Who really knows? The present is fleeting. The past was a blur. And I never believed in the fountain of youth. * Moving Around I hide at night in a home by a river of debris and mice. Of Mice and Men, I read that book. I used to love The Moon is Down. Moving around makes me so tired. * Bundle of Dreams I was born and I will die. I will die and I will have dreams. I will meet my grandparents on the other side. My hair will grow long again and I will be young. Isn’t it great? This is one of my dreams. I have a bundle of them. * Words Words betray me. I leave them stranded in retaliation. They get dirty with no one to tend to them. Blank-eyed, they look at me with numb attention. Their false smiles sting. The words convince me to take them back. In a stream of consciousness the words start a poem on the importance of second chances. More poems come out wrapped in barbed wire about America’s wall. I take a mop to the blood on the page. I can’t clean it. The killing has been going on for years. Our life, our lives are fed to the black night in the desert. Off the rails, a would be leader peddles fear to his lot. My vote and my words are my most useful weapon. I take a pen. I write down the story I have to tell. Nobody can stop me. I must keep faith in myself.
Category Archives: CHAOS
Essay from Dr. Reda Abdel Rahim
The royal tombs of Tanis are falling silent!!
Do you see why this important archaeological discovery has not received a share of publicity?
And a luck of Fame!
Perhaps the timing of the disclosure in 1940 was a hindrance to its popularity.
Where most of the countries of the world were participating in another-humanitarian – disclosure:
“The Second World War”!! The world only needed to hear the aircraft shells and the sound of guns.
As for the greatest archaeological discoveries about the tombs of the Kings of the Twenty-First and twenty – second dynasties in San al-Hajar, an event equal in importance-and perhaps surpassing-the discovery of the Tomb of King Tutankhamen in 1922.And the accompanying resounding fame shook the corners of the world. It seems that in 1940, the world did not need more shaking and destruction!
In 1940, the French archaeologist Pierre Montet unveiled the missing “Tanis” after more than twelve years of research and excavation, and also found a complex of royal tombs consisting of three intact burial chambers, which is a rare and amazing discovery.. These tombs contained precious and dazzling funerary collectibles, such as golden masks, coffins made of silver, and elaborately made stone, and were also filled with some other precious items, such as bracelets, necklaces, pendants, tableware, and amulets.. In addition, those tombs were teeming with various relics from statues, vases, jars and others that still testify to the power and wealth of the rulers of that city in that period.. The discoveries of Monte also had other important consequences; one of the Kings of Tanis, the previously unknown king shashang II, was found wearing precious jewels that belonged to the famous King shashang I, whose name is mentioned in the Bible, which prompted Silverman to say: “this proves to you how important the Kings of Tanis were at that time”.
The hill “San al-Hajar” is located at the entrance to the town named after the hill, and administratively belongs to the center and city of Husseiniya, Sharqiya governorate.It is located northeast of the city of Cairo and is about 130 km away from it and about 20 km south of Manzala Lake, and The Hill area is about 3 km north-south, 1.5 km east-west. It was formerly the capital of Egypt during the 21st Dynasty (1078-945 BC).M) for reasons related to the privileged location and the religious conflict that erupted in the city of barramsis, “the village of Tel El Dabaa currently or qantir – the center of Fagus – Sharqiya governorate”.
Tanis enjoys a strategic and vital location because of its supervision of the Tanis branch of the Delta and the possibility of access by ships through Lake Manzala, and the receding water and the drying of the” belozi” branch, which was passing through the city of “barramsis”, the large capital of Egypt before the establishment of “Tanis” led to the migration of that city and at the same time the activity of the Tanis branch led to the prosperity and reconstruction of the city of Tanis.
As for the origin of the name of Tanis as the creator of the stone ; where the Egyptian traveler ( one Ammon), during his famous visit to Pylos, raised the late reign of the Ramesses-he lived during the reign of Ramses Xi (Twentieth Dynasty) – He passed by the city of “ajnet” and from this hieroglyph it turns out that it is a maritime city and a large port and it was mentioned that it was the seat of cymindis without a royal reference to him, which suggests that cymindis was the ruler of Tanis before the foundation of the 21st Dynasty and he is credited with moving the capital from bramses to Tanis .Some Assyrian sources described this city as Sanu Sanu, and the Greek sources of Tanis TANIS, and in the Middle Ages Tanis became a large quarry and was called the Tanis stones, and then finally the stone maker.The men of the French scientific expedition were the first to visit the”stone maker” area in 1799, and recorded and described its apparent effects.
The famous French archaeologist “Mariette” was the first to carry out scientific excavations in four seasons in 1859, 1860, 1861, and then the 1865 season. The second excavator who shed light on the archaeological area was the “Flinders Petrie”who came to the site in 1884.Since the first discoveries, the site of Tanis has been linked to the capital of the Hyksos”oaris” due to the many traces found there dating back to this era.
It was also possible to link this site with “Ramses” after traces of “Ramses II”were found there in large quantities. Some researchers have argued that oaris, Tanis and perramsis are three names of one city. In 1940, the expedition of the University of Strasbourg, headed by the French archaeologist”Monet”, succeeded in revealing the royal tombs of the Pharaohs of the Twenty-First and twenty-second dynasties. The most famous pharaohs who based Tanis include the Pharaohs psosenes I, osorkon II and Shasha naq III.
1-the Tomb of susins I ( 1040 – 993 BC.M)
Symonds-the Twenty-First founder of the dynasty-entrusted his powers before his death to his son psosenes I, who ruled the whole country for seventeen years ( 1040 – 993 BC.His name means “the star shines in the city “and he also took for himself the nickname “Ramses psocenes”, one of the greatest participants in the construction of the temple of Tanis; where he built the wall of the temple. The first”psocenes” ordered that his tomb be built southwest of the temple Sanctuary, between the Great Temple and the brick wall. His tomb consists of:
A well-constructed of limestone, almost square in shape, without its walls of Inscriptions, a passage on the eastern side, two granite stones and two stones were added in a later era, and the tomb is built for the Pharaoh “psosens” and his funeral furniture in Room No. 1, as well as for his wife “death of a star” in Room No. 2. “Monte” 1940 revealed her inscriptions and titles on many of them include a gold mask inlaid with precious stones, a necklace of gold and turquoise, pots and dishes of gold, all in the Egyptian Museum.
2-The Tomb of “oserkun II” (945-712 BC.M)
When “osercon II” took over the reign-the twenty-second dynasty-he was about fifty years old, and he made several important renovations in the temple of Bubastis, also dedicated a compartment in Thebes, and issued his orders for the restoration of the Great Temple in Al-fentin. His tomb consists of:
A granite chamber surrounded by limestone and on the East a chamber opens to Chambers 3, 2 and its current entrance to the West, it happened as a result of internal modifications made in chamber No. 4, which is the chamber where osercon II was buried: a rectangular chamber whose walls were covered with pieces of pink granite stones and blocked its entrance with a large block of granite and a large sarcophagus occupied the chamber.
And this granite sarcophagus was huge. The lid of the coffin was also a large piece of granite stone, taken from one of the statues of King “Ramses II”.The tomb is rich in religious inscriptions that shed light on the religious ideas widespread in Egypt in those periods of belief in reckoning, punishment, the trial of the dead and the journey of the deceased into the other world.
3-the Tomb of shashang III: (945-712 BC.M)
Takelot II – the twenty-second dynasty-was succeeded by his grandson shashang III, who was a young man about eighteen years old. His tomb is characterized by the simplicity of construction:
It consists of a well with a base area of about 2 × 3 M and a funeral chamber with an area of about 3×5 m connected to each other through a narrow corridor about 1 m wide .
The burial chamber was built on two granite sarcophagi. The four walls of the chamber also appeared almost intact, and the inscriptions painted on it were not affected by anything, but it turned out that some of the colors of the inscriptions were still fresh when the tomb was revealed. The four walls of the burial chamber are decorated with engravings and colorful images that address some of the religious themes that we used to see in other royal tombs, such as the trial of the deceased, the repudiation of all sins, the journey of the sun, the procession of the gods, in addition to some other funeral scenes. As for the walls of the well, they were left empty without an inscription or decoration, and the coffin was also found empty.
The San al-Hajar area is the best royal tombs area in the Delta, and it still contains many of its architectural and decorative elements, which can be a tourist attraction. The region can be invested in tourism and culture before it’s too late!!
Short story from Habibullayeva Madinabonu
Last Regret
– Didn’t you wait? Maryam said in a sad tone. – I’m here. I have a good time. Let’s talk more today. After all, you wanted me to stay with you and talk for a long time. You kept calling. I never answered. I’m not good at talking like a human. I did not ask for encouragement. How selfish I have been. I’m sorry, please forgive me.
As the girl lay her head on her mother’s grave with tears in her eyes, she didn’t want to admit that she was useless.
About the author
Habibullayeva Madinabonu Abdurashid’s daughter (Madina Rashid) She was born on July 12, 2007, Torakurgan district, Namangan region. She is currently studying at the Russian language school No. 75 in Chust district. She can communicate in Russian, Turkish, and Kazakh languages.
Chairman of the Youth Wing of the Democratic Party of Justice.
Head of Torakurgan district’s “Girls’ Voice”.
Winner of a medal and certificate from the Association of Double Wing Writers of Kazakhstan.
Writer, author of works, stories and articles.
Winner of Handball and Handball competitions
Poetry from Faleeha Hassan
Scarf Do not be scared of me I’m not an alien Coming from space Hiding its horrible sensors Under its hood I am not here to attack you No Don’t be scared I am not a female spider Hiding in her web Trying to wrap your body with my silken thread I am not a barbaric woman Just dancing on the drums of death I am a woman like you Smiling like you walking on my feet like you crying, laughing, dreaming and singing like you The difference between us is in the war I lost so many… It’s a scarf My scarf See it, touch it, feel it Do not let it cover your mind From seeing the real truth 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.
Essay from Dilnoza Xusanova
Illuminated life and creative path of Erkin Vahidov
Erkin Vahidov, a prominent representative of Uzbek literature, a famous poet, translator, dramatist and community leader, created a very blessed work. Hero of Uzbekistan, People’s Poet of Uzbekistan Erkin Vahidov was born on December 28, 1936 in Altariq district of Fergana region in the family of a teacher. His childhood coincided with the Second World War. His father Chuyanboy Vahidov returned from the Second World War with severe injuries and died in 1945. A year later, her mother Roziya Khan Vahidova also passed away. Young Erkin, separated from both father and mother, is brought up by his uncle Karim. Arriving in Tashkent – the capital, the poet diligently and enthusiastically continued his studies. The young poet, who became a famous and honored poet of our nation with his works, developed love and passion for books and literature very early.
He took an active part in the literary circle organized by the poet Ghairati and began to learn the secrets of creativity. Erkin Vahidov’s first collection was published in 1961 under the name “Morning Breath”. This collection sharpened his talent and potential, fueled his passion for poetry. After that, one after the other, “My songs are for you”, “Heart and mind”, “My star”, “Shout”, “Lyrics”, “Epic written on the wall”, “Department of Youth”, “Lighthouse”, “Epics” “, “Love”, “Current Youth”, “Living Planets”, “Suffering” were published. The deep meaning, pure expressions, and wonderful images in a number of poems of the poet, who sensitively feels the magic of folk literature, such as “Morning Plate”, “About Humility”, “Bulak”, “Love”, “Mother Earth” reflect found.
Erkin Vahidov worked as an editor, editor-in-chief, director at the “Yosh Gvardiya” publishing house, at the literary and art publishing house named after Gafur Ghulam, and as the editor-in-chief at the “Yoshlik” magazine. He contributed to the publication of many high-quality works. At the same time, he also wrote great epics such as “Exclamation”, “Epic Written in Palatka”, “The Place of the Sun”, “Rebellion of Spirits”. It is difficult to imagine the work of the poet without his work as a translator. He skillfully translated the works of many famous world poets into Uzbek. In particular, the poems of the Russian poet S. Yesenin translated by E. Vahidov, the work “Faust” by the German poet Goethe were big events in Uzbek literature.
Erkin Vahidov collected his works created over a period of more than fifty years and created a four-volume collection entitled “Trade of Love”, “Poetry World”, “The river of life” and “Exclamation of the heart”. It is not wrong to say that these works are a mirror and reflection of the people’s life. Erkin Vahidov, who gained attention in Elda, did not only write poems and epics, but also created works in other genres. He also tried his hand at dramaturgy and created dramas such as “The Golden Wall” and “Istanbul Tragedy”. Our beloved poet Erkin Vahidov’s services to the country and literature were taken into account, and he was awarded the Order of “Great Merit” and the title of “Hero of Uzbekistan”.
Erkin Vahidov, the beloved child of our people, great creator, People’s Poet of Uzbekistan, died on May 30, 2016 at the age of 79.
Essays from Michael Robinson
LORD YOU ARE MY SALVATION Exodus 14:14 (AMP)- “The Lord will fight for you while you [only need to] keep silent and remain calm.” Lord, you have guided me to be still and listen for your words. The words that are within my essence come to life each morning. Upon waking, my thoughts are calm for no matter what the day may bring you will give me comfort. You have been my comforter and my guide in my times of troubles. My haste caused me much pain and discomfort over the years. Now knowing your heart for my salvation there is peace. Lead me to the still waters of your creation so my thirst is filled. Look into my heart and know my longing for your safety. The shadows of my past has been removed by your consistent deliverance of my troubled mind. For the battles I once faced without you caused my spiritual death. Being silent and remaining calm has restored my being. This is my eternal salvation and redemption by your son Jesus Christ who brought me life. Jesus' resurrection brought me into your Kingdom. There is no need for me to battle alone in the weariness of my mind for now the Kingdom of heaven is my eternal home. Prayer: May I remain silent and calm moment by moment. Knowing that your soft voice will bring me joy and rest from those who seek to harm me. May my words and deeds and actions reflect your heart in my daily walk. Remind me in moments of disharmony you have placed your shield before my heart. In your Holy name I pray. Amen BRING ME BACK HOME Psalm 119:25-26 “I am worn out and weary; my heart is exhausted, but I will keep your law. Restore me, Lord, and give me new life, and I will obey your every command.” (NIV) Oh, Lord I am your Faithful child, for You are my Heavenly Father. You renewed my Heart to Love You Forever. I have been given an experience of death to the world. While I was in the hospital, I nearly died to the world and You restored my Spirit. I have prayed to you since childhood. Now, at 67 years old, you have guided me back to your Salvation and Redemption. I have sought You and I have received Your Grace. Grace because of your Divine and Majestic and Mighty power to give birth to Creation. I’m a part of your Creation and have never been far from You. You never gave up on me. This restored Heart has given me life. My Heavenly Father whom I Love with all my essence. I have knelt at the altar listening for the whisper of you calling me, my Lord, for I’m dust. My spirit is now full of Glory for a life of joy and prosperity. Your plans for me to know Your precious Son Jesus the Christ. He paved the way for me to have everlasting Life in the Heavenly Kingdom. Prayer: Divine Father of all of Creation I celebrate my sonship. I adore your Holy Son Jesus Christ, Who died on the Cross for my sins (and separation) from You. You have sought me since my birth. Decades have passed sitting before the altar of lights. Praying on my knees with tears fallen on the altar rail. My heart was lost and my soul was aching. Lost and confused seeking you. You called me while I was severely ill, giving me solace. Now in Your Heart I have returned Home. This life living in the Heavenly Kingdom in the here and now. In that very moment while in the hospital, I was born a new Creation in Your Being. Amen Advent Health ICU 2:00AM. Wednesday July 10th 2024
Poetry from Santiago Burdon
Fonty The Vegan Vulture Fonty was a vegan Vulture. Other Vultures tried to offer their advice Told him they were created as carnivores and eating meat Is an essential part of their diet. He stayed true to his commitment to be a vegan Ate fruit and berries but they never satisfied his appetite He began to steal stale bread from pigeons Crows kept him away from the cornfields He was too weak to put up a fight The Vulture Committee knew he wouldn't last much longer Sure enough he died from starvation The Volt joined together as a Wake and all said a prayer Then they quickly ate him. Judge Santiago Burdon Stray Dogs and Deuces Wild, Not Real Poetry, Quicksand Highway, Fingers in the Fan, Tequilas Bad Advice, Lords of the Afterglow, Overdose of Destiny, Architect of Havoc.