Poetry from Gabriella Garofalo

Blue Scenes

The other lover once they called sky
A Dionysian clangour who broke limbs,
Feelings, and hard cheese if she couldn’t hide
Crashed answers, food going rotten, 
Her hunger helpless like grass, 
Her dig a blue sparsely furnished
With fringe stars, tasteless food, 
A twisted rough mind where limbs 
Shook, and squeezed in-
Don’t wonder why, answers but a dark juice
Worse than unripe currants,
Leave her alone, go on shooting snaps
As the blue rises over deep grey walls-
Maybe your flock, my shepherd of troubled souls, 
Lips scraped by honey, mayhem, deceits
Let crinkly women untangle hard secrets, 
Moon, perhaps you are a woman,
Only thingie you can do 
Is making claims, and demands,
Coming up with sorry tales 
Of children, periods, headaches,
All the way bleating you are 
Awfully sorry for being a woman-
To cap it off, first season months 
Promised us answers, and hope’s damn disguise-
No more wobbling, OK?
Ask the conjuror of light 
To quickly move his fingers, 
Their fault as ever if soul keeps starving, 
And twinges went wild like a flash 
On a summer storm.
                                    
******

To S.

Was she thinking of blue screens, or last words,
When fleeing heaven, or deserting dark thingies?
Three blue hours ago she set 
To lend each awakening his breath
While the Angel was touching waves,
And moving his hands to the source of life,
And in her dream clear, and so deceiving
She was healing, maybe getting into the green,
Sounds engraving on her mind for good-
If only she didn’t hate sudden lights,
And her infinite was different 
From a wild lava she didn’t ask for,
The rust of flowers when it clings to limbs,
A sky dodging blue fires, hers,
Her birth, her colours held back by weeds
And a smashed clingy blue-
But regret is stalking her, that cursed evergreen,
Anytime she looks at words flowing all over limbs-
Father of the first seeds, every slight feels like a danger,
So hold your waters, give your heaven 
Another look, whenever her soul whispers
That light screeches, then turns out to be 
The sister of grass, and earth,
When fields grab her if she gives her words, 
And breaths exist, the many red bruises
Already taken for granted.

*******

To M.W.
                    
Great,  the ice blue shock runs through you 
If you brush against poetry, and a dirty ambivalence 
In the morning, when blue overwhelms uneasy thoughts,
And you feel them as they twist, and even shun
Nasty questions from the sky, red whirlwinds, 
A water so fed up with lovers in short 
That at last she morphs into a large green wound, 
An end to deals, and everlasting doubts, 
But why are you so scared when the fires stay silent, 
And souls vibrant at digging words don’t care 
For fruits, honey, handfuls of pages no good 
To the skies of desertion, in a word your cave 
Where life, ever the confused noise,
Sets lips ablaze with all those endless calls to infinite-
Now it’s high time to silence the books, 
Can’t you see your mind never promised 
To give in to snarling winds, or clear breezes?
So don't side with them, as she has no honour, 
No name to protect, she doesn't care 
If they find her weird, and sometimes she laughs,
While shivering from winters, while ice blue moons
Bring back a fever never as red as you’d like,
Just  a clash of colours in short bursts, 
They never slake a season when dogs 
Keep scenting the grass, among flowers always so idle
If she looks cheerful, but maybe a bit dead.

*******

To S.

Where the hell is his strength, 
The  sea looks so dazed tonight,
While they are fighting over the silverware,
And an electric blue, maybe the birth of mourning,
Is rising in the sky, yet you can hear a farewell,
Whispered as they called for the mother of life,
Bitterness climbing the stairs to hurt 
The onlookers at the moon, 
So many bruises, like an eclipse they shine,
Among boxes all over dispersed, neglect,
A tense elegance from a light that never chills words,
If they hand blue to souls, some dodgy drugs, 
Anytime she runs high and naked
Among deceiving sounds, and a second season
Raids answers much faster than love and time-
‘Cause you 're a dream, moon, but not life
For words bracing frayed warps,
And blue roots you can’t weed out-
Many books later, lights given up for missing 
Were found, theirs was a broken idiom 
Only souls intend-
No big deal, what mothers simply can’t love 
Are unsolved children from fights 
Between their wombs, and moon,
Those chatty ladies who can’t wait
To screw up your dinners with endless tales
Of lousy sex, worry, or distress.

                                                  *******                                                                                   
                                                                    
But in the cold bleak light from the hall
You simply can’t be a goddess 
Looking for fauns or friends,
Nor a maenad uprooting trees, or enemies-
Soul, your anger is a seed, it always 
Gives birth to waste, and sour cream,
No need for the old grandma's remedies,
Hurling yourself at hectic days,
Or raising your hand against limbs-
The seed will soon rise up, 
And they won’t call you bastard,
Those good for nothing, 
Moon, father, mother,
A fibbing mist raiding your life 
Whenever you make room 
To an absurd white, 
To papers encroaching on the walls,
Books writhing on the floor, 
Maybe the winter thrust to first births?
No, just a rejected look for you to learn
How to weave time, so cut it out 
With angst, and worry,
If the lover of a lost hero gets more to weave, 
Or light can’t divert you while dogs, 
And nights wipe out passion, or lust-
Even if a party of days and blue bags shakes you up,
Listen to the voices moon is fuddling, 
Unsafe breaths, but please don’t go green-eyed on her
When she writes to heaven, so many letters lying
Among corpses, a rubble of stars,
And the absolute faith, no one can grabes first seasons, 
Or so says the maddening memory
You can see standing up against a powder blue,
Drop it, be it your model an ambivalent moon
When she dodges the dull blue of the sky, 
And those restless bored sahms, falling stars.

*******   
                                          
Adrenaline high up the sky, you shocked-
Do not bend over me, night,
No need to, you’ve got lovers, right?
Fear, fear always digging her graves, souls,
Cold, and a silence you misplaced so long ago-
Just remove the sounds words echoed
When stalked by water, 
Or fighting like no tomorrow with light-
And you, my cold, do not bite me tonight, 
No need to, as souls, and a tousled desire 
Don’t mind green, or silence-
As soon as they leave give birth
To life, and God, your last resource, 
Give the sky his own fire, but, my soul,
Don’t set yourself on fire, not your fault
If days start whirling ‘round you, 
Scalds, men, rejections, of no importance at all,
As you chose from the start colours
And plain books, certainly not love, nor limbs,
You just kept slicing shreds from renegade skies,
Dissenters, the lunatic fringe -
That’s why skies can’t grab you on the fly,
Nor can Sahara want you as a prophet-
Just an albedo of words 
Breaking through stones, and boulders-
Dunno if she feels like a mother, but you inside 
A place where they’re so keen 
To come and meet you, 
Questions, doubts, slip-ups
In a brand new creation:
A heavenly vault, foliage, that pearly white 
Set to strike back at your soul.

Born in Italy some decades ago, Gabriella fell in love with the English language at six, soon after she had started writing poems (in Italian). She has contributed to a number of national and international  magazines and anthologies, and is the author of Lo sguardo di Orfeo, L’inverno di vetro, Di altre stelle polari , Casa di erba’, and in English, A Blue Soul and Blue Branches.

Synchronized Chaos Mid-September 2022: One Fleeting Glance

Photo c/o Chris Webber

“One clear moment, one of trance
One missed step, one perfect dance
One missed shot, one and only chance
Life is all…but one fleeting glance.”
― Sanober Khan

First of all, our friend and collaborator Rui Carvalho has announced the opening of our Nature Writing Contest for 2022. This is an invitation to submit poems and short stories related to trees, water, and nature conservation between now and the March 2023 deadline. More information and submission instructions here!

Also, our co-editor Kahlil Crawford and I are announcing once more our Latin culture-themed issue, which will be October’s first issue. Submissions for this are welcome up through the end of September. Kahlil was inspired by the works of Fernando Sorrentino, who sent in a set of stories, one of which is published in this issue. Lorraine Caputo will write the editorial letter for that issue.

Finally, we continue to encourage you to support assistance and education, including literacy classes, for Afghan people in need through RAWA (The Revolutionary Association of Women in Afghanistan). They are looking for people to translate articles from Persian/Pashto into English and to translate the English and Pashto articles on their site into a variety of other languages.

This month at Synchronized Chaos we acknowledge the fragility of life and the passing of time.

Picture c/o Teodoro S Gruhl

Robert Stephens relates a tale of a father’s yearly visits to his daughter’s grave that take on increasing poignance as he approaches the end of his own life. Santiago Burdon’s story of a father and daughter celebrating a teenage milestone turns bittersweet at the end.

Mark Young contributes poems of vagary and translucence, speakers who don’t see everything, who have trouble finding their way. Faroq Faisal also explores mystery and the limits of our conscious knowledge.

Damon Hubbs evokes ecology and cosmology in his inventive take on nursery rhymes.

J.J. Campbell speaks to memories and change, what can evolve with time and what stays stuck.

Ian Copestick probes whose lives we value, what type of justice is appropriate for various forms of cruelty.

Fernando Sorrentino writes of a life upended, and ultimately enriched, by a mysterious visitor. Pathik Mitra writes of intercultural connections made through unusual ways wile traveling. Farjan Mushfiqul Amin relates a clever anecdote between two friends recalling history.

Some aspects of our world are uncertain and threatening, on smaller and larger scales.

Picture c/o Piotr Siedlecki

Christina Chin and Uchechukwu Onyedikam’s poetic collaboration, like Sayani Mukherjee’s first poem, speaks to the violence endemic in nature and human society and the fragility and uncertainty of life. Muhammad Sinan relates the precarity of the oil industry while Hannah Aipoh highlights the injustice of subtle sexism embedded within our cultures. Mahbub Alam illustrates the effects of inflation on already struggling people.

Film critic Jaylan Salah traces how director Baz Luhrmann portrays artists who only tenuously fit into society. Robert Stephens’ poem relates the pain of unrequited and temporary love. Petro C.K. metaphorically represents the often imperfect fit between what we say and what we mean through poems that make use of language that is somewhat auto-generated yet sounds official and informative.

Yet, we can have the choice of how to respond to a challenging world, even though it will outlive us.

Photo c/o Marina Shemesh

Gaurav Ojha meditates on how the knowledge of our inevitable deaths can bring a rare preciousness to life. Gabriel T. Saah and Fayzullayeva Sevara urge us to make the most of life because it is impermanent.

Akinmade Abayomi Zeal speaks stridently on living to the fullest and avoiding traps that derail one’s life. Syed Tabin Ahbab tells the tale of brave hunters who stood up to defend their village.

Uchechukwu Onyedikam sends in gentle poems of spiritual search, humility, and gratitude. Raafia Shaheen encourages self care practices to get through a difficult time. Md. Nurujjaman relates a tale of someone who simply hops aboard a bullock cart, riding wherever the driver and cows lead them.

Photo c/o Suzie Hudon

With a similar spirit of gentleness, Chapaina Wabganj sends us a photo of a peaceful sunset, with a solitary boatful of people dwarfed by the scene. Sayani Mukherjee’s second poem evokes the soft comfort of autumn twilight and the change of seasons. Kaiser Mahmud praises the natural beauty of his Bangladeshi homeland while Mokhlesur Rahman describes the luscious fruit and economically important agriculture of the region.

Ubali Ibrahim Hashimu’s love poem draws on a rich heritage of metaphors while Chimezie Ihekuna’s poetic speaker revels in the anticipation of the holidays and an impending marriage. Tanvir Islam writes of a patient and kind romantic love.

Mesfakus Salahin takes an innocent joy in nature and expresses his determination to move forward, even with a broken heart. Charles Upshaw, the Man of Legend, also writes of perseverance and confidence, especially for altruistic and noble goals.

Poetry from Hannah Aipoh

DIARY OF A LOAFER

Maturity the birth of gentility,
A fugitive I am,
Told never to shut a lad up,
Shut a boy and shut an ancestry they said,
They carry the shoulders of glee they said.

Miming my way through the rabble.
My confidence ebbing away.
Sit down, don't talk, you're overweight, dress pretty they said,
I ate the dust,
I still remember them smirking at me,
Visible disgust on my face.

Always being told the bitterest truths and the sweetest lies,
And here I am 17 years later still imprisoned in a pyramid  of thirsty men,
I see myself as a nova.


BIOGRAPHY

My name is Hannah Aipoh, I am sixteen years of age, l was born on the 23rd of February 2006 and I hail from Estako East Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria.

I aspire to be a gynaecologist and a poet laureate.

Poetry from Tanvir Islam

Poetry from Tanvir Islam

MY TRUE LOVE


I have a feeling
          That I can't comprehend.
In my deepest thoughts you are
          More than just a friend.

I wouldn't want to
          Rush us now
As love we explore,
          But there's a growing love inside
That we just can't ignore

I love the time we
          Spend together. 
We are comfortable and free.
          I think of you when we are
Alone. I think of you and me.

We have shared 
          Secrets to uncover. There's more
To life. We will both discover.
          I love   you always.

I'll love   you when you're dumb,
 I'll love   you when you're smart,
I'll love   you any way you are,
Right from the start.

I'll love   you if you're tall,
I'll love   you if you're short,
I'll love   you if you're pretty  ,
Or just an ugly dork.

I'll love   you if you're toothless,
 I'll love   you if you're blind,
Anything that's wrong with you,
To me you'll be fine.

My heart is opening up now,
Unlike it used to do.
I see the pain that's in your heart  ,
And sometimes I feel it too,

I'll love   you tomorrow  ,
I'll love   you today  ,
I'll love   you forever  ,
And forever always    .....



Poetry from Robert Stephens

                                       A Father’s Vigil

A man sits on a folding stool talking with his daughter even though she is not listening. But he does not mind. She has not listened to him these past years. Still, he talks as if she is there, not in the shallow grave she rests in, consumed by the natural way of all the dead in this corner of the park. The park did not allow a head stone or marker. He built a cairn of the rough serpentine rocks the day of her interment, the family crying and weeping with the sorrow that comes from the disbelief of a child passing. He wept along with them. He believed she had passed but knew that it was not an end.

The rocks were gone when he came to talk the first time. He came back every year, an annual vigil. Every time he came to talk with her, he tried to remember the tree she was buried near. At first, he came on the anniversary of her burial then on her birthday. A friend told him not to remember her at her death, but her birth. The conversations were the same, but it was easier to talk with her on her birthday than the anniversary of her death. He talked of family things: family trips and holiday gatherings, at Christmas, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July. One year it was the story of a white Christmas at her grandma’s house and the snowball fight that ended with everyone cold, exhausted and laughing. And the Fourth of July in Disneyland, the noise, the light, the awe. He talked about birthdays and events, both happy and sad. He told her about her grandma's 85th birthday, and how she died the next year. He talked of personal things: fears and regrets, joys and successes. He talked of the regrets of not spending more time with her: sharing her favorite movie, playing tag in the park with the dog.

He talked of her: memories and possibilities, so much of her life left undone, dreams left undreamed, wishes never to be fulfilled. Early on he wondered if he was sane or just obsessed by coming every year. Her mom worried about him. As the years passed she worried less and less. He often came back more relaxed, almost relieved, like a burden had been diminished. He often asked his daughter what she thought about the things he told her. He knew she was not listening.
 
But she was there, for him, all his life. She became his confidante.
When his death was near, he made one last visit. This time there were no stories, no histories. Just the fears of the uncertainty of death: was there an afterlife, would he find her there, would someone come talk to him, would he listen. At the end he thanked her for being there, and wept. If she had listened, she would have thanked him for the company.


Essay from Mokhlesur Rahman

A Short Writing on Mango Prone Chapainawabganj from Mokhlesur Rahman


The Mango Capital of Bangladesh

Chapainawabganj is located in the north-western part of Bangladesh. It was formerly a sub division of Malda district. Everyone knows about Chapainawabganj by the name of Mango capital. I live at Tiktampur in Chapainawabganj. At presen, it is a part of Rajshahi division. It has five upazilas which are Chapainawabganj Sadar,Shibganj,Gomastapur, Nachol and Bholahat. Now, Chapainawabganj is the main Mango growing region in varitics Mango like Fazle, Langda, Himsagar, Khirsa, Ashina, Bombai, Amropali, Laksmanbhog, Gopalbhog etc. All of them, Khirsa is the best for it's unthinkable taste in Bangladesh. In summar, Mango is the main product that develops the economy of my home district. Chapainawabganj is full of Mango tress. Everyone can see the Mango trees here and there. Every people of Chapainawabganj supplies Mango for every region in Bangladesh. As a result, on June 12,2022-The West zone of Bangladesh Railway launched a special train of mango from Chapainawabganj to Dhaka.1800000 people are living in Chapainawabganj. The interesting thing is everyone wants to get the tasteful mango. So, I am proud of my home district which is the capital of Bangladesh.



Poetry from Christina Chin/Uchechukwu Onyedikam

3


murmurs

of ill winds

shift to the west

cheerful ladybird 

returns to nest



2


yellow warbler

on the green palms of nature

takes a perch

unsuspecting 

of a waiting goshawk 



1


her turn 

at the queue 

staggered tears

she collects in a basket

wages of labour



  Christina Chin / Uchechukwu Onyedikam