Synchronized Chaos’ Second April Issue: A Chorus at the Threshold

Image c/o Anonymous User

First, some announcements. Tao Yucheng invites the winners of the poetry contest he hosted earlier this year to contact him at taoyucheng921129@proton.me. He’ll send out the prize money this month. He also announces that no one person won the Honorable Mention (there was a tie among multiple pieces) so he will automatically enter those pieces in the next competition, which will be at a yet-to-be-determined date this summer.

Also, contributor Mykyta Ryzhykh has a new book out, Tombboy, from Lost Telegram Press.


“In his book, as in books of poems written in poetic forms and free verse, language moves through a pattern, and the basic organizing unit is the line. In tombboy, the line may be a syllable, a sign, an image, or even a dot… Readers may rightfully assume that many, even all the poems in tombboy are anti-war poems… yet it would be inaccurate to infer these concrete poems are doctrinaire, or purely political. Nor are they autobiographical. But they are personal, intuitive, original, and memorable, each with something to show…”
Peter Mladinic, author of House SittingKnives on the Table and many other books

tombboy is filled with an experimental spirit, combining fearless phrasing with satirical madness. The result is a fascinating examination of the human condition… it seems there are no limits to his masterful creativity. Each page of this book will grab your attention. tombboy deserves a prominent spot on your bookshelf.”
Roberta Beach Jacobson, editor of Five Fleas Itchy Poetry and smols poetry journal

Tombboy is available here.

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Welcome to Synchronized Chaos’ mid-April issue: A Chorus at the Threshold. This issue presents a chorus of voices singing, speaking, sometimes whispering, at different types of thresholds. People of different ages and backgrounds come together in this issue, each sharing thoughts, observations, and feelings at points of shifting and transformation.

Some of these thresholds are deeply interior. Adalat Gafarov Izzet oglu’s poetry is contemplative and reverent, with a focus on spirituality and the search for meaning. John Culp speaks to self-discovery, love, and finding one’s own rhythm in life. Duane Vorhees’ poetry forms a cohesive meditation on struggle, distance, and the human effort to bridge impossible gaps—whether spiritual, emotional, or existential. Mesfakus Salahin’s piece highlights self-exploration in times of solitude, as Maja Milojkovic laments the increasing unwanted loneliness caused by the setup of much of modern life. Mahbub Alam probes the highs and lows and capacities of human nature, highlighting the need for empathy and compassion. Prasanna Kumar Dalai’s poetry is romantic and melancholic, expressing deep emotions and longing. Poet and physician Anwer Ghani suggests that despite our attempts to conceal our emotions, they can still be sensed and felt.

J.J. Campbell’s writing touches on his inner shadows: feelings of isolation, the desire for a simple, authentic life, and the pain of his loneliness and inner demons. Ana May likewise writes from the doorway between suffering and transformation, insisting that pain must be faced if it is ever to yield meaning. Fhen M.’s eerie poem recollects the legend of G. Bragolin’s Crying Boy painting surviving house fires, meditating on trauma and memory. Thi Lan Anh Tran depicts the complex, multilayered social and psychological effects of both romantic love and war. Amina Kasim Muhammad’s poem illuminates how people rebuild after the loss of a loved one, growing around rather than overcoming grief. In David Sapp’s vignettes and Eva Lianou Petropoulou’s scenes of personal and public tragedy, ordinary life itself becomes a threshold where loss is transfigured through memory and grief into reverence.

Other voices gather at the threshold between childhood and adulthood. Yeon Myeong-ji and Hamdamova Dilzodaxon Halimjon qizi craft scenes of family love, care, and loss. Their work, and Jacques Fleury’s return to his father and their childhood treehouse, all stand in that tender doorway between then and now. Sarvinoz Bakhtiyorova depicts the impact of remembering one’s past and how that can shape one’s identity. Here, affection survives distance and the past remains startlingly alive.

Nature, too, shifts throughout this issue, with pieces about seasons and the liminal spaces between dreams and reality. In Stephen Jarrell Williams’s idyllic vision, the act of learning to fly becomes an awakening into another mode of being. Elaine Murray’s visionary reflections on natural landscapes, Charos Ismoilova’s gratitude for the sunrise, Ananya Guha’s pensive thoughts on seasonal time, Graciela Noemi Villaverde’s vision of a world where humans protect and care for the natural world, Joseph Ogbonna’s song to a nightingale, and Brian Barbeito’s dream journey scenes of birds, constellations, and moonlight all invite us to the threshold between the visible and the unseen. Sayani Mukherjee’s luminous piece on the sacred mystery of existence completes this movement, reminding us that existence itself is a continual process of change.

History and heritage form another vital threshold in these pages—the place where inheritance meets the present moment. Dr. Jihane El Feghali’s tribute to Lebanon, radiant with resilience and memory, stands beside Ilya Ganpantsura’s portrait of Pushkin, writing in a nation poised between autocracy and intellectual freedom. Abdulaxilova Sevara’s meditation on Yusuf and Zulayha reveals divine and human love, earthly devotion blended with spiritual transcendence. Eva Lianou Petropoulou shares the tale of miraculous holy fire burning the day before Easter in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Lan Xin acknowledges the shared humanity and commonalities within the heritage of the world’s people, finding harmony within global religious teachings, and Bhagirath Chowdhary echoes that sentiment in his poem. Mohizoda Xurshiq qizi Roziqova discusses Uzbekistan’s legacy of teacher-apprentice training in the trades as Shokhida Nazirova highlights the Uzbek government’s investment in youth education, athletics, and personal development. The works rooted in Uzbek heritage further remind us that culture survives through crossings: hand to hand, teacher to student, voice to voice.

Image c/o Marina Shemesh

The chorus also rises at the threshold leading to justice.

Sim Wooki confronts racism and colonial power, while Patricia Doyne and Manik Chakraborty write from the brink where historical violence and oppression not only cast a shadow upon the present, but continues to this day. Alan Catlin and Stephen House stand at the moral threshold of witness, asking what it means to remain human before scenes of suffering, ecological damage, and collective harm. These are works that refuse the comfort of distance. They ask us not merely to observe, but to consider the ethics of paying attention.

Elsewhere, the collection turns toward personal thresholds of growth and development. Axmatova Maxliyo Ag’zam qizi discusses challenges in ESL education. Satimboyeva Risolat Ilhomboy qizi compares AI technology to the human brain as Adkham Mukhiddinov outlines how integral calculus can function in economic analysis. Khamidova Shahzoda Kholbozor qizi’s poem extols the promise of Uzbekistan’s next generation as Tursunoy Akramjon qizi Umirzaqova highlights the potential power of computer technology to improve traffic flow and safety. Ibroximova Hayitbon Mirzoxidjon qizi explores another potential role for AI in education, developing individual study plans. Yoqubova Barnoxon Baxtiyorjon qizi suggests ways to harness digital technologies in preschool education. Yunusova Robiyakhon Khayotbek qizi discusses challenges and opportunities for new technologies in the financial services sector. Charos Yusupboyeva outlines the promise of online education for remote areas. Doniyorbek G’ulomjonov and Tillayeva Muslimaxon Yashnarjon qizi examine the evolving role of technology in education, Saitkulova Fotima reflects on how living standards and education have greatly improved over the years in Uzbekistan, Axmatova Maxliyo Ag’zam qizi suggests ways to improve language students’ writing competence, O’rinova Diyora outlines methods for improving language learners’ speech, Kurbonova Mohinur Abdumuxtor qizi discusses challenges in translating idioms between English and Uzbek, while Rakhmonova Gulzoda Sodiq qizi stands at the threshold of a career in medicine, drawn forward by compassion, intellect, and personal resolve.

Image c/o Anonymous User

Jernail S. Anand looks at compassion, care and the consequences of individual actions. Mykyta Ryzhykh highlights the dissonance between our ideals of gentleness and innocence and abusive human behavior that falls short of these ideals. Asalbonu Otamurodova’s reflections on boundaries offer another kind of threshold: the necessary line where care for others must meet care for the self.

Art itself becomes another form of threshold, creating space for various ideas and sensibilities to meet and overlap. Noah Berlatsky considers how even a weathered, broken artwork can convey meaning, how the breakage can become part of the work. Doug Hawley and Bill Tope’s joint short story humorously compares an ordinary couple with historically famous idealized sculptures of people, finding in favor of the average, imperfect, but real, married couple. To’lquinay Ubukulova points out creative people’s current dependence on technology of various sorts. Jerrice J. Baptiste’s poems and paintings of women highlight their individuality, strength of character, and connection to the natural world. Juraeva Aziza Rakhmatovna interviews Croatian writer and poet Ankica Anchia, illuminating her love for her nation and birthplace as creative inspiration.

Ummusalma Nasir Mukhtar celebrates the power of writers to move society forward through their creativity, as Bill Tope explores his personal literary motivations. Ri Hossain analyzes themes in his own poetry, highlighting his combination of materialism and surrealism and how he renders urban realities through free verse. Gionni Valentin’s fragmented thoughts, images, and reflections explore themes of creativity, self-discovery, and the human condition. Kandy Fontaine describes post-Beat poetics, defined by inclusivity, community, focus on embodied and lived experience with living writers, and rejection of hierarchies and trophies. Patrick Sweeney’s tiny poetic fragments touch on art, identity, nature, history, and relationships. Joshua Martin’s poems combine lexical debris, media fragments, bureaucratic residue, and historical ruin, while Mark Young’s fragmented transmissions emerge from different frequencies of reality.

Image c/o Daniele Pellati

What binds these many works is not sameness, but shared arrival. Each piece stands at some edge—of understanding, of memory, of identity, of survival—and from that edge it calls out. The result is a true chorus: not a single melody, but many voices meeting in resonance.

Chorus at the Threshold sums up this collection because every page invites crossing. Between sorrow and wonder. Between history and dream. Between the self we have been and the self we are still becoming. Yet, many of these doors remain open, so that the thoughts and impressions in one “room” carry forward along one’s journey or can be remembered.

May you enter these pages with openness, attentiveness, and the quiet recognition that something in you may emerge changed.

Essay from Mohizoda Xurshiq qizi Roziqova

THE MASTER-APPRENTICE TRADITION: AS A NATIONAL PEDAGOGICAL HERITAGE

​Fergana State University

Mohizoda Xurshiq qizi Roziqova

1st-year student, Department of Fine Arts and Engineering Graphics  

Scientific Supervisor: Ahadjon A’zamjonovich A’zamjonov  

Abstract: This article analyzes the role of the master-apprentice tradition as a national value, its historical roots, pedagogical essence, and significance in youth education. It also highlights the place of this tradition in the rich spiritual heritage of the Uzbek people and justifies the necessity of its development within the modern education system.  

Keywords: master-apprentice, national value, national education, pedagogical heritage, tradition, spirituality, mentorship, apprenticeship, Uzbek pedagogy.  

Introduction.The spiritual image of every nation is manifested through its values. One of the most important values of the Uzbek people, formed over centuries and preserved to this day, is the master-apprentice (Ustoz-Shogird) tradition. This tradition is not only an integral part of the educational process but also a vital expression of national consciousness and thinking. In today’s era of globalization, preserving national values and instilling them in the minds of the younger generation remains a crucial task. From this perspective, studying the master-apprentice tradition as a pedagogical heritage holds particular importance. 

Historical Roots of the Master-Apprentice Tradition.The master-apprentice tradition has played a significant role in the historical development of the Uzbek people. Since ancient times, young people have been brought up under the guidance of masters in fields such as craftsmanship, agriculture, art, and science. In our national culture, respect for the teacher is regarded as the highest virtue. The wisdom, “The master is greater than your father,” is not said in vain; it expresses the profound reverence our people hold for mentors. This relationship also occupies a special place in Uzbek classical literature and scientific heritage, where great thinkers emphasized loyalty to the master, love for knowledge, and ethics. 

Pedagogical Significance of the System.From a pedagogical standpoint, the master-apprentice system is one of the most effective forms of education. Its primary characteristic lies in its individual approach and direct communication. This system is distinguished by:  

​Person-centered education.  

​The harmony of theory and practice.  

​The unity of upbringing and education.  

​Formation based on national values.  

​An apprentice learns not only knowledge from the master but also life experience, patience, and human virtues, which shape them into a well-rounded individual.  National Education and the Master-Apprentice Tradition.National education is a system based on the historical experience, customs, and values of a people. The master-apprentice tradition is a vital component of this system. Through this tradition, the following qualities are formed in the younger generation:  

​Respect for elders.  

​Striving for knowledge.  

​Love for the Motherland.  

​National self-awareness.  

​Spiritual purity.  

The master does not merely teach a profession but raises a person to be a useful member of society, which is a key factor in national progress.  Development in Modern Education.While today’s education system is enriched with modern technologies, it is essential not to forget national values, but rather to harmonize them with modern learning. To develop this tradition today, it is important to:  

​Widely introduce mentoring systems.

​Integrate national values into the curriculum.

​Preserve traditional methods in art and craftsmanship.

​Educate youth in the spirit of respect for mentors.  

​The National Image of the Master

In Uzbek society, a master is not just a professional, but a promoter of spirituality, an educator, and a guide. They serve as the main bridge conveying national values to the next generation. A true master must possess high knowledge, loyalty to values, honesty, justice, and selflessness. An apprentice raised by such a master becomes the pride of the nation.  

Conclusion.In conclusion, the master-apprentice tradition is a rich national and pedagogical heritage of the Uzbek people. It plays a crucial role not only in imparting knowledge but also in the moral and spiritual upbringing of the individual. In the context of globalization, preserving this tradition and integrating it with modern education is a vital task. A society that does not rely on its national values cannot develop sustainably. This tradition remains a priceless heritage that transmits human virtues and professional excellence from generation to generation.  

References

​Karimov I.A. High Spirituality — Invincible Power. Tashkent, 2008.  

​Navoiy A. Mahbub ul-qulub. Tashkent, 2005.

​Forobiy A.N. The City of Virtuous People. Tashkent, 1993.

​Abdulla Avloniy. Turkiy Guliston or Morality. Tashkent, 1992.

​Theory of Pedagogy. Tashkent: O‘qituvchi, 2010.

​General Psychology. Tashkent, 2018.

​PDF formatiga kelsak: Men AI model bo’lganim

Rozikova Mohizoda was born on November 6, 2007 in Beshariq district, Fergana region. Currently, she lives in Oltiariq district, Fergana region.

Education and scientific achievements

Mohizoda graduated from secondary school No. 23 in Oltiariq district with honors in 2025 with a gold medal. Currently, she is a 1st-year student at the Faculty of Pedagogy, Psychology and Art History of Fergana State University, majoring in “Fine Arts and Engineering Graphics”.

She conducts her research in the scientific field under the guidance of A’zamjonov Ahadjon, based on the tradition of a teacher-student relationship. In 2026, she was awarded the “Researcher of the Year” badge for her fruitful scientific research and published articles.

Public and creative activities

M. Rozikova is active not only in science, but also in the media and arts:

Media: Creates content promoting national values on social networks under the pseudonym “Do‘ppili kiz Mohizodam”.

Project: Acts as the host of the popular “Sirli Qon‘ng‘iroq” project.

Social activity: One of the active youth of the faculty, a member of the “Kizlarjon” club and the youth team of the People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (PDPU).

Art: As an artist with many years of experience, she has been deeply studying the secrets of fine arts.

Skills and goals

She is highly skilled in working with digital technologies, in particular graphic design and engineering graphics programs. Her main goal is to combine national art with modern technologies, bring it to the world level, and introduce innovative methodologies in the field of pedagogy.

Poetry from John Culp

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Falling faster 
      than skies can 

Just to find ground.

The stable beginning 
     where particles meet 
        to find a rhythm 
     As Love rests my
        Heart safely 

Told a thousand truths
    each different without 
   source   until  I touch 
  Harmonious Light  with 
    direction.
      Myself I AM

    Best upon
       needless to 
          say.

  .............................................


A morning script 
    by  John Edward Culp
      April 6, 2026
   All Rights Reserved 


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Poetry from Stephen Jarrell Williams

Canopy of Dreams

When I first learned to fly

in a quiet place of trees and grass

and the open sky above me

whispering blue

light as feathers

and I knew I had to try

lifting my feet as I walked

believing I wound rise

a little at a time

until my steps did not touch the earth

I smiled gazing up

into flight

heavenward

over the waving trees

and some sparrows flying beside me.

Essay from Hamdamova Dilzodaxon Halimjon qizi

Sky

It was as if the dark clouds were racing each other. They were just about to meet the nine-year-old. Grandpa came into the house with a bunch of colorful bags in his hands. I ran over and threw myself into their arms Grandpa handed me one of the bags. It was amazing!

My grandfather had never brought anything in a bag with such a pattern before I  asked:

-Grandpa why is that?

-Just like that?

-Well you still don’t understand 

-Why?

-Your grandfather grandmother loved such bags 

-What kind of person was my grandmother? She taught  children raised them  loved to read and was a very pure person. The main thing is these

-If only my grandmother were here now….

She was a wonderful person  

My grandfather said  interrupning me I envied my grandfather just like any other child. I grew up listening to my grandfather teach them . The are with me in my heart. As I was starting at a point in the middle of such thoughts the boy next to me interrupted my thoughts:

Teacher can you check my homework ?

Blind eyes

-Finally  my son we are going to the capital tomorrow.

-Haaa will we stay there for a long time?

-We will leave when the doctors say so.

-Then will you take me to the park?

-God willing we will definitely go.

-I love you, honey!

-Okay honey, have a good rest -he said and left 

-Dawn passed. Mother and son set off happily. The boy was thinking about something in his mind. They reached the hospital. The boy’s operation was successful. Since the boy had good immunity, the wounds healed quickly.

The boy asked his mother caressingly.

-Mom shall we go to the park now?

-Darling, let’s get home

-Mom honey, be careful, we are turning left. Stop! Hold on don’t trip.

-My child, you are so kind 

-Not like you!

Hamdamova Dilzodaxon Halimjon qizi was born on May 11, 2009, in Uchkoprik district, Fergana region, Uzbekistan. She is currently a 10th-grade student at the Erkin Vohidov Creative School.

Poetry from Alan Catlin

Rules for War Photographers

Recognize what the war is,

and where, then patiently wait for

the photograph to happen

Be objective and never

interfere

Even when the baby is

drowning

when the village is

burning

when the women are on their

hands and knees praying, begging

you to stop

where the girl is running with

her back on fire

Do not become the subject yourself

even when captured by

the enemy

Especially when captured by

the enemy

To not take these pictures

so we will never know what

you have known,

to see what you have seen

these pictures are too terrible

for words

Violate all these rules

whenever possible

The Crime Scene

after Stan Rice

All the faces in the ill-lit street

are wearing masks like equity

actors off-stage in guerilla theater,

a strange interlude with police cars,

emergency flashers, real murder

weapons and riddled bodies 

emboldened by death, their heads

covered by rags, a black plague

mask for disease prevention in

a rat-infested tin pan alley awaiting

a visitation of wisemen from another

vision drawn with white chalk and 

defined by yellow caution tapes,

Caucasian chalk circles drawn

on stained concrete for filling in 

the spaces with blood evidence and

severed finger prints; the muffled

hooves of a mounted police cordon

nearby indicate the pale horses,

pale riders, have arrived.

Found Photo, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” in the Background 

The talk here is

not of Spain

nor of the Civil

War

Not of Picasso

bleeding,

a failing century’s

grief

but of the harm

men do to other

men

the held-breath

silence of just-

before-the-end

and what

comes after

Mayakovsky at 3 AM

Eyes closed, stuffed head in

a noose, broken arms

wrenched aside useless as

foam, the smoke of many

cigarettes in glass ashtrays

on the littered, low table,

dealt playing cards folded

into hands, played tricks

amidst litter: empty clear 

bottles, overturned shot glasses,

spent cartridges, dueling pistols,

barrels still crossed on the wall

above the torso of a bald, 

black veiled woman, painted 

eyes half-open, false lips

the color of dried blood.

Enola Gay, the result: details 

Three wisemen with gas masks,

their asbestos suits alight; dis-

colored babies, the egg heads and

the deformed; body parts of the afflicted

blue and exploding; peace bridge

over a river, running red as ink, collapsing,

a conveyance, a memorial no more;

railroad trestles melting, steel matchsticks

pliable as plastic; graveyard markers

reduced from stone to ash; altars

for the ancients and the newly dead

wiped away; great beasts rising from

the human muck, primordial, simian,

their eyes white as heat lightning,

as atomic mushrooms after the fire

storm, after the manumission of these

wandering souls; the black impressions,

shadows frozen in flight.

Portrait of the Artist, Photo of a Mock Turner in the Background

Brought back to life, his eyes

have seen it all on both sides

of the bar, the swarthy demons,

the headless huntsmen, range

riders on white buffalo shooting

the dead warriors when artificial

respiration won’t do what jesus

did, making a mockery out of 

mortality by raising Lazarus three

days gone, decayed and festering,

an incomplete new man cursed with

vision once the white scabs of his

eyes have been removed, once new

uncanny visions of resurrected pain

have been felt; the risen elk on steep

promontory wait amid the unearthly

swirl of colored mists, the creator’s

face suggests what cannot be said,

“nothing I can say will make it better.”