Poetry from Jamal Garougar

Older middle aged Middle Eastern man with short dark hair, brown eyes, and a blue sweater.

One Horizon for the New Year

At the gate of the year,

we remove our shoes—

the earth is sacred,

wounded by too many names.

From the breath of deserts

to the patience of olive trees,

the world whispers:

enough of division.

O New Year,

teach us the art of return:

return to the human face,

so we may recognize one another

beyond fear and banners.

Let peace be

not a slogan,

but a daily gesture—

bread shared,

a wound listened to.

We were made from one breath,

and to that breath we return,

different in paths,

equal in dignity.

Poetry from Abduqahhorova Gulhayo

Young Central Asian woman with long dark hair, a long tan dress, standing at a lectern with balloons and signs behind her.

My lord


He never stopped working for his family
He thought about the happiness of his children
He always lived happily and with a smile
My dear, gentle, kind lord

He always held my shoulder and kissed me
He always prayed for me
When I cried, he wiped my tears from my face
My lord, he also gave me joy

He never bowed his head when trouble came
He looked for an opportunity in every task
He always supported his loved ones
My dear, sweet-spoken, generous lord

Essay from Jacques Fleury

Middle aged person with a baseball cap on and a black jacket and tan jeans and black boots checking their phone in a subway station. Another person of indeterminate gender next to them also checking their phone.

Coming Home

[Excerpt from Fleury’s book: Chain Letter To America: The One Thing You Can Do To End Racism:

A Collection of Essays, Fiction and Poetry Celebrating Multiculturalism

“Coming Home” Photo Art c/o Jacques Fleury

Well, because a fall leaf fell before my feet today I see
In serendipity I yearn to live daily,
Consider this my soliloquy.
To awake to its bounty of unlawful acts of intrepid beauty
I yearn to taste the morning dew on my tongue at sunrise,
That is to feel again; to unfurl my wings like silver springs
And fly again; to sound out sounds yet to be heard;
Supposedly it’s all been sounded,
Supposedly it’s all been said,
But not by me so here I am, like a black-tailed deer prancing on wobbly legs,
Trying not to remember that I was once hunted so that I can
Imagine a world without hunters; but I do remember and that’s how I got stronger.
I yearn to bay at the moon at night but not like a black wolf,
But a white swan flouncing on the foamy lake.
I want a world of butterflies and rainbows…
Yes, I want to have my cliché and eat it too.
Poets! Allow me to harangue you:
Coveting prizes and publication can consume you!
Defy and denounce racism!
Confront and contain classism.
Confer and celebrate humanism.
Pursue the ultimate orgasm!
Happiness is accepting the life you see,
Be happy and enjoy your journey.
My heart has been doused in the dawn of new age reality:
Not unlike the reality TV that gave me a place to hide in uncertainty;
No one is talking.
Everyone is texting.
Social media: the new pathway to a social life.
We are in a crisis of technological isolation!

So technically we are less and less connected
And more and more isolated.
Caught in the cross fires of neocolonial consumerism,
I want to live a life free of materialism, free of egoism;
I want to be like Buddha.
I want to meditate all day and sleep all night.
Keep your dreams alive!
I once publicly hid from love;
I yearn to love again like the moon tickling the midnight sea;
“You are a true Poet, don’t EVER let them take that away from you.” They told me.
Now here I am, battered and bruised, my silver wings have dulled
By the wear and tear of my new reality: not quite young, not quite old, not quite done;
Yet I’ve resolved to flail my silver wings again against the moon lit skies,
This time without worry,
And come home to my original love
Of prose and poetry.

Poetry from Greg Wallace

Older middle aged white man with sunglasses, a large brown and black hat, and a collared and buttoned white, yellow, and dark blue top standing in front of a canvas full of random paint.

PAPER PLANET

Paper planet unpinned on something glassy 

also pink ambulance

table wipe emergency dressed candy

  square game was force of hospital 

 fluid zigzag elements felt mannerism

 repeated hunt near ring letters 

 fit molars the way sleep soon little would

one accomplice looked

 and the issue flow and paper 

 hand panic for quash of some dropped

 questions wanted eyes of Halloween

amalgamated snakes forever outlines milk 

 that house floating 

your automatic sleep stampede built on the bifocal 

Fractal gladiator carries lugubrious toy rifles 

 A coffee is a squares pipes   

the registering girl flowed streaming wet

rain in the looped army 

 oceans slowly open child

 glittering morphological lining 

  recorder kept single pudding 

palm world powers narcissist module 

then stuck dripping steamed gulf

 wooden dress could hyphenate 

swift blackness the transverse thin for water

circles surged dactyl our dead

 cars solids curtains tiny jaguars wanted another explosives

vast software guns arranged someone to the stretched

PERISCOPE  

She bumped red suns 

crackling white galactic 

clicking engines luminous 

orange car slammed ink animals 

sonorous notifier flaming griffin 

simple hand put down porcelain 

tingling troops tumbling 

The bright inter-spaced creatures 

engravings lengthen estuary  

tanks ensconce over echo kill 

printed lance the white words 

leather waterfalls of tranquil light 

translucent faded statues 

mysterious Indian rays  

The few people of ice gods 

crazy hyperborean troops   

darkened day package 

resistant sailor tripped  

office burns the air   

run in the fine summer Data 

imperial curtains shook the machine  

The lamp her curling clerks 

zinc encircled candle furry with anesthetize threshold 

the whipper shut moons 

reflection in pinball  

dressed eye and clouds 

but static torch falling    

plastic antique face hid guns

LINCOLN LOOP

A geometrical design drifted past 

disconnected hands twinkle

a fold in the flows held a glassine eye 

facsimiles of dead space in the disorganized area 

in blue time desolation thread broke 

a complex flow disconnected the intruding lines

design accident instar horizon 

automatic movements of the tiny area

ballerina knew the suspected man 

Burning specters like thought wings

a lake that glitters with radioactive fluorescence 

something strained almost to breaking

ashes frayed like threads of fabric

the darkness depressed child propellant 

blotted minds with metabolic radiocarbon

Sumerians slide down glistening icicles 

tropical bomb suddenly formed fish channel

gnomic trouser that first discovered life

THE PROXY INTELLIGENCE

Candied terabyte of meson water 

rubbed a couple of skies with

xenon supply paper

submerged thickness of brownstone 

partially pulling regrettable friends 

Osiris piloted 3 musketeers 

scooped bronze hospital ship with frozen stamp

Dixie hook looks with lucrative sugar 

Mars girls stay with area 56 in underwater fur 

tank curves in noteworthy knees

ultraviolet rainbows over a microwave sea

dispenser of strangeness strikes strontium

sea breakfast gives an inch 

analgesic reprisal of quick colonnade 

our Goliath buildup uses his plush nightlife 

accidentally flattens bobcat

Didn’t rinse sylphs with metallic blood 

opening calibration out of vortex aggregate 

specters appear in the polar ring 

knight clamps nettle out of cubed windows

capacitor crowns tactless morphology  

French flags wash beautiful scrimshaw 

foobar needs camerawork structures

waterfalls on pirate ship pumping high 

FURRY CHILDREN

Someones touch electrified the visiplates 

blood and bone only with eyes of iron 

this but sparkles and hovers

the fire banister became Egyptian

king of sleep in concession stand

geometric anthem sometimes covers sky

attached flare of sizzling ripples 

commandos pierce narrow blind 

hands drift in darkness

milky teeth traps tank beneath polar bears

there parted somewhere heroes  

Machine looking into small fingerprints 

closed uniformity glasses 

filing furry children from willows Garbo

small earth fell over the night rays of birds

Little John resplendent in the tiny tools of time

later doom to atoms behind the kangaroo 

green against this studded thunder 

water patiently wears the edge

stopped dreaming fishes  

thought seeps into the very spaces between 

pressure zone conceals enormous carved gargoyles  

Gregory Wallace has been making art of various kinds for at least 50 years. He was active in the mail art scene in the 80s and participated in international mail art exhibits and correspondence. Mr. Wallace was a founding editor of Oblivion magazine and has published several books of poetry including The Girl With Seven Hands, The Return of the Cyclades, and Exile and Kingdom Come. His artistic activity encompasses poetry, collage, sculpture, assemblage, photography and painting. His work has appeared in Typo, BlazeVox, #Ranger, Synchronized Chaos, and God’s Cruel Joke.

Poetry from Anna Keiko

Young East Asian woman resting her head on her hand. Long trimmed brown hair and brown eyes.

My Spiritual Home

If I had an acre of fertile land,

A thatched cottage to shield from wind, cold, heat and damp,

Why would I squeeze into the steel and concrete jungle?

No matter how large a house can be measured,

The human heart remains unfathomable.

The fragrance of wildflowers along the path is natural and pure.

Even amidst thousands of houses and lanes, a single glance is enough.

If the heart is filled with light, brightness will abound everywhere.

Lights shine on faces, affairs cater to the powerful and rich.

I’ve wasted my prosperous days in vain,

Touched by the vastness of this worldly way.

I yearn to move to an isolated island,

Watching over the empty wilderness on all sides.

A single ladle of water, a single drink,

Are enough to make my heart turn toward the light.

January 2, 2026, 08:51

Comment: A Search for a Pure Land amidst the Hustle and Bustle

Anna Keiko’s “My Spiritual Home” is like a clear spring, flowing with a deep longing for a pure spiritual world amidst the hustle and bustle of the mundane world, touching and inspiring readers’ hearts.

The imagery in the poem is ingeniously used with strong contrasts. The “acre of fertile land” and the “thatched cottage” form a sharp contrast with the world built of “steel and concrete”. The former is simple and rustic, an ideal haven of peace and freedom; while the latter, though its space can be measured, has an unfathomable human heart, revealing the spiritual emptiness behind material prosperity. The natural fragrance of the “wildflower path” and the worldly disturbances of the “thousands of houses and lanes” further highlight the poet’s yearning for nature and authenticity, as well as her alienation from the utilitarian and mundane.

The emotional expression is sincere and profound. The poet directly conveys her inner belief: “If the heart is filled with light, brightness will abound everywhere”, spreading a positive and uplifting energy and making people believe that inner light can dispel all darkness. Regarding worldly prosperity, the poet laments in无奈 (helplessness), “I’ve wasted my prosperous days in vain, Touched by the vastness of this worldly way.” In a reality where power and wealth reign supreme, her loneliness and confusion are evident, and this emotion can easily resonate with readers.

The artistic conception is profound and full of philosophy. The “yearning to move to an isolated island” is not an escape from reality but a pursuit of inner peace. In the empty wilderness, she can blend with nature and find her true self. “A single ladle of water, a single drink, Are enough to make my heart turn toward the light” reveals that happiness does not lie in material abundance but in inner fulfillment and tranquility, containing profound life wisdom.

The language is simple yet full of charm, without the embellishment of flowery words, yet it can accurately convey emotions and thoughts. “If I had an acre of fertile land, A thatched cottage to shield from wind, cold, heat and damp” is simple and plain but creates a sense of peace and serenity. The rhythm is also natural and harmonious, forming a rhythm through word combinations and sentence patterns, enhancing the poem’s appeal.

“My Spiritual Home” is an excellent work that leads us to stop in the hustle and bustle, examine our inner selves, and pursue that piece of peace and light that belongs to us.

Painting of a large woman in a red top with a blue skirt in a room with a candle.

Essay from Doniyorov Shakhzod

Young Central Asian man in a suit and red tie with short dark hair standing in front of a geometrically patterned background.

HEALTHY LIVESTOCK – A HEALTHY SOCIETY

When we talk about health today, we usually think of the human body, medicine, hospitals, and pharmaceuticals. However, the roots of public health are often overlooked. In reality, they begin on farms, pastures, livestock facilities, and in veterinary clinics. A healthy society is not defined solely by healthy people, but also by healthy animals, safe food, and responsible drug use. In this sense, the phrase “Healthy livestock – a healthy society” is not merely a slogan, but a vital reality.


Livestock farming is one of the fundamental economic and social pillars of any society. Meat, milk, eggs, and dietary products are integral components of everyday human nutrition. Yet we rarely reflect on the conditions under which these products are produced, the medications administered to animals, or the extent to which these processes are regulated. In fact, any issue related to animal health ultimately affects human health.


One of the most serious global challenges discussed in recent years is antibiotic resistance. This problem does not originate only in hospitals. On the contrary, one of its major sources is the uncontrolled and improper use of antibiotics in livestock farming. In some cases, antibiotics are administered not for therapeutic purposes, but to accelerate animal growth or as a preventive measure. As a result, bacteria adapt to these drugs, rendering commonly used antibiotics ineffective in humans. This poses a serious threat to public health.


Unfortunately, attitudes toward drug use remain problematic. Some livestock owners administer medications without consulting a veterinarian, relying on the belief that “this drug worked before.” In other cases, dosages are not followed correctly, and treatment courses are not completed. Most concerning is the failure to observe withdrawal periods before slaughter. Consequently, drug residues remain in meat and dairy products, which eventually reach the consumer’s table.


This is where the close interconnection between veterinary medicine and pharmacy becomes evident. While veterinarians are responsible for diagnosis and treatment, pharmacists ensure the quality, safety, and correct use of medicines. Without effective collaboration between these professionals, medications may cause more harm than benefit. Therefore, veterinary pharmacy is not merely a professional field, but a critical component of public safety.


Today, the market offers a wide range of veterinary medicines, but their quality varies significantly. The issue of counterfeit and substandard drugs is particularly alarming. Such products fail to treat animals effectively and may even worsen diseases. As a result, livestock mortality increases, productivity declines, and economic losses occur. More importantly, these drugs pose an indirect threat to human health. Thus, strict regulation of veterinary medicines is not only a professional responsibility, but a societal necessity.


The issue of healthy livestock is not limited to medication alone. It also encompasses proper husbandry, sanitation, disease prevention, and vaccination systems. Preventing disease has always been more effective and economical than treating it. However, in practice, preventive measures are often neglected, and problems are only addressed once diseases have progressed. This approach is neither economically viable nor beneficial for public health.


At the global level, the concept of “One Health” is becoming increasingly relevant. This approach views human, animal, and environmental health as a single interconnected system. Everything in nature is interrelated: when animals fall ill, humans are put at risk; when the environment is degraded, livestock become more vulnerable; and when medicines are misused, society suffers. Therefore, healthy livestock is not merely an agricultural issue, but a matter of national and global security.

Another crucial aspect is the training of specialists. Modern veterinary medicine and pharmacy require advanced knowledge, technology, and a strong sense of responsibility. However, the gap between theory and practice remains evident. Young professionals must be not only knowledgeable, but also ethical and conscientious. A single mistake can affect an entire chain—from livestock health to human well-being.


As a society, we must also recognize our responsibility. Chasing cheap products and choosing meat or dairy of questionable quality ultimately harms us. Where there is demand, supply follows. If consumers demand safe and high-quality products, producers will be compelled to meet these standards. This, in turn, encourages the production of healthy livestock.


In conclusion, building a healthy society requires more than doctors and pharmacies alone. The process begins on the farm, continues in veterinary clinics, and is reinforced through the pharmaceutical sector. Only when each link in this chain fulfills its role honestly and responsibly can we truly speak of a healthy society. Healthy livestock is not merely about animal welfare—it is a guarantee of the health of future generations.

Essay from Botirxonov Faxriyor

Young Central Asian man with a white and black cap, brown hair and eyes, and black coat over a white shirt.

Why Hard Work Is More Important Than Talent

Many people believe that talent is the main reason some individuals succeed while others do not. From a young age, we are taught to admire people who seem naturally gifted — those who learn quickly, perform effortlessly, and stand out without much struggle. Because of this, talent is often seen as the most valuable quality a person can have. However, in real life, talent alone is rarely enough. Hard work plays a far greater role in achieving long-term success.

Talent is only potential. It gives a person a starting advantage, but it does not guarantee progress. Without effort, talent slowly loses its power. A talented individual who does not practice or improve will eventually fall behind someone who is less gifted but more determined. Hard work allows skills to grow, while talent without effort remains unused. Over time, consistency beats natural ability.

Hard work is what turns ordinary ability into real strength. Success comes from repeated practice, patience, and discipline. Whether in sports, academics, or business, the people who reach the highest level are usually the ones who spend the most time improving themselves. They make mistakes, learn from them, and try again. Talent may help at the beginning, but only hard work leads to mastery.

Another reason hard work is more important than talent is that it builds character. Working hard teaches responsibility, self-control, and persistence. Life is full of challenges, and talent alone cannot prepare someone for failure or disappointment. Hardworking people are more likely to stay focused during difficult times because they are used to putting in effort even when results are slow. These qualities are essential for success in the real world.

In addition, the world values effort more than natural ability. Teachers, employers, and leaders look for people who are reliable, motivated, and willing to improve. Talent might impress others at first, but hard work earns trust and respect over time. A person who consistently works hard will continue to grow, while someone who relies only on talent may stop developing.

Failure also shows the importance of hard work. Everyone fails at some point, but hardworking people do not give up easily. They see failure as a lesson rather than an ending. Instead of quitting, they adjust their approach and keep moving forward. Talent alone often fails when determination is required.

This does not mean talent is useless. Talent can be helpful when it is combined with effort. However, if someone must choose between being talented or being hardworking, hard work is the more powerful choice. Effort creates opportunity, while talent without effort is wasted.

In conclusion, talent may help someone start their journey, but hard work is what carries them to success. Hard work builds skill, character, and resilience — qualities that last a lifetime. True success belongs not to those who are simply gifted, but to those who are willing to work for their goals every day.


Author Note

I am Botirxonov Faxriyor, a 7th-grade student at Karshi Presidential School. I enjoy writing essays and exploring ideas related to education, personal growth, and success. In my free time, I enjoy exploring new ideas and technologies, learning programming skills, watching action movies, and going for walk. I spend my weekends with my family. I have recently started writing articles and finding the process both engaging and motivating