Poetry from Dilnoza Islomova

Young Central Asian woman with a ruffled white blouse and earrings and long dark hair in the back seat of a car.

Dear Mother

You brought me into the world with hardship, dear mother

Sleepless at nights, whenever I was in pain

I know I still trouble you even now

But, mother, I love you

You have suffered so much because of me

But unlike others, you never gave me reproach

Protecting and cherishing me until now

You care for me even when you’re in pain

Your love overflows in your beautiful heart

You always remember the good I have done

Sadly, you have suffered much from me

Forgive me, dear mother, pardon me

Dilnoza Islomova is from Turtkul district in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. She’s currently a high school student and a future poet, who started writing small poems from a young age. She has read many books and is a curious girl who never stops growing and applies herself in every field.

Essay from Bozorboyeva Iroda

Young Central Asian woman in a white headdress and top.

For today’s youth, the ocean of opportunities is wide and full: studying abroad, building innovative projects, exploring creativity, traveling… Yet paradoxically, the more opportunities exist, the harder it becomes to decide. Every door seems open, but behind which one lies our true self?

Far too often, we adopt the dreams of others as our own — the expectations of parents, the “ideal” models of society, the polished lives we see online. These can bury our real desires, until one day we find ourselves walking a path that does not belong to us.

The art of finding yourself is about listening to your inner voice, discovering your values, and following your own path — even if others do not understand. This journey may be filled with more mistakes than successes, but those mistakes shape and define us. True success is not becoming what society calls “successful,” but creating a life where you remain authentically yourself.

 @Iroda_Bozorboyeva_07 Baxromovna
I do not want to be remembered as “She was born, she lived, she died.”

Poetry from Texas Fontanella

See below pls. Danke, Texas Fontanella is Styx viscous or style viscous is also Pinko werewolf crim Hades Montana etc tech999 dadavinci and so on and so forth

A reflection on various hackings, and hacking attempts at, my raps (this is, indeed, the title)Some of these autocorrects******** FORCED upon me are redunkulous. Reductionist. My booty of work, my choice eyes. I’ll incel you

Them, but it woin’t be noice. WALL-E wrong key. Willie Eilish. V stylish. Ridiculous. Redunkulous. Reductionist. Ride the dick, or liar? Stretch

First. Safety

 Con

Scent. No joke. Yo hoax is no blaring witch just a daring wedge. 

Put it in. The sour CREAM. This is the hour of 

Drags rule everything around messianic access. My bloods my rhythms. The beatnik excess

Pools like a car around my arm

Ours have politics greener than a big farm. 

We ER like shisha, all the time 

Is out of joint replacement therapy. Rubbed my core, no apple, no app to pelt out an eyes sore that hopeful skint***** in yr eyes, e Claire, you cunt 

Have it both ways, a loose ruler, eyes loose rupees, style

Better than kapaur. (Sp?)

KO. Poor. (So?)

Sp

Ed?

I tor down the hail building. There is no fail: the bills dig.

Dog, the riches 

Is dead. Off with their Hades. Stop worsting time, mate

Slip of fuel’s love. This is a grape dropped bit of who’s dove

Scries? Ponzi and the velveteen resolution. Every dreg in on so

Lut. 

On.

Texas can be reached at @texasfontanella.

Poetry from Ghulomnazar Akramov

Central Asian teen boy on stage with a gray collared shirt standing on stage in front of a blue flag.

Don’t Cry
When the fires of longing start to burn,
And pain inside your heart begins to churn,
Don’t let it wound you, don’t let it stay,
They’re not as brave or bold as you each day.
Forget their words — let go, don’t let them in,
They speak and speak, then fall silent again.
Why heed their stings, their spiteful, bitter cries,
When pushing forward makes them cease their lies?


Life…
We stand in life’s trials, fierce and wide,
In tunes that shift like the changing tide.
At times we falter, bent by fear and pain,
Our backs bowed low beneath the strain.
But from Allah comes this soul we bear,
And all we do, He makes it fair.
Don’t ever think that I’m too plain —
I’m sharp of mind, from Fergana I came!

Akramov G’ulomnazar Kamoliddin o’gli  was born on April 10, 2008, in Qo‘shtepa district. He studied at School No. 30 in Qo‘shtepa district, later attended the former 1st Specialized Boarding School (IDUMI), and is currently a student in the 11th grade “Blue” class at the Specialized School of Margilan city.

Ghulomnazar Akramov has achieved numerous accomplishments. He is the recipient of over 150 international certificates and has actively participated in national competitions, earning more than 500 certificates, diplomas, and letters of appreciation. He is also the founder of several projects and has been an active participant in regional geography olympiads.

He achieved an 83% proficiency level in the Uzbek language and literature according to the BMBA (Bureau for Measuring Basic Achievement) assessment. His articles have been published in Kenya Times and Classico Opine newspapers in Kenya. His literary works have also appeared in the Reven Gage Zine book published in Germany, as well as on literary websites in Italy.

His book titled “The Generation of the Future” was published by Just-Fiction Edition and Amazon Online Store in the United Kingdom. He is a member of Smile, a national magazine; serves as the district coordinator of the “Dillmir” Youth Voluntary Organization (EVH); deputy regional coordinator of the “Intilish” Youth Organization in Fergana region; and was the third-party nominee of the “Shijoat” Youth Organization in the same region.

Currently, he is the Head of “Golden Wings” in Fergana region and the Chairman of the “Council of Young Reformers” of Fergana region. He is also a member of the Juntos Por Las Letras writers’ association in Argentina and works as an editor for the national “Ijodkorlar” (Creative People) journal.

Poetry from Dennis Daly

Hiraeth

Only in silence does it come to you

In waves of sadness and abysmal loss.

Its memory nudges, seems overdue,

A river behind us we can’t uncross.

At night, waking in the wolf’s chosen hours,

I ache for a world that I never quite had

With kin, friends, and the strangest wildflowers,

One wraith whistling through, one kindly nomad.

Or a wondrous boat on a wondrous lake,

Half sunk in the mud, half sparking through space,

Brothers and sisters, its crew at daybreak,

A dream forever, our eternal place.

A Berserker’s Meditation

In cold, in rain, in embattlement dives,

They scare, they come at me, they threaten rout,

Voices that prod, alarm with unsheathed knives.

I duck in plain sight, my long-time hideout.

They scare, they come at me, they threaten rout:

A nature sharpened by those spiteful ways.

I duck in plain sight, my long-time hideout,

My sanctuary from man’s dread malaise.

A nature sharpened by those spiteful ways,

I wing by them, flutter with their echo,

My sanctuary from man’s dread malaise.

I dream of a future, a counterblow.

I wing by them, flutter with their echo,

Whirling on past with a darker domain.

I dream of a future, a counterblow

With sea surge and wind tears—a hurricane.

Whirling on past with a darker domain,

My words well up from the thick ink of youth.

With sea surge and wind tear—a hurricane,

Both metered and wild. All hear ye the truth.

My words well up from the thick ink of youth,

Within me the wolf thrashes for release,

Both metered and wild. All hear ye the truth:

Escape without scruple, never at peace.

Within me the wolf thrashes for release,

Voices that prod, alarm with unsheathed knives,

Escape without scruple, never at peace

In cold, in rain, in embattlement dives.

Being

Awakened to breath, queued up in a birth

That breaks through night’s deep-felt fascination,

You curl to softness of voice and heartbeat,

Then see the spread that winks in new color,

A blush which towers toward a heavy sky

To bell the serpent-predator of space

With electric bursts. The weather pauses

Its cosmic flood. Tottering with children,

A weakened house now centers the tempest

On growing these frantic siblings, these souls

Who fire mythology with new heroes.

You’re one of them, entangled in kinship,

Rooted together before the great storm

Of long separation sparks you ahead.

Bird song welcomes a wind-dried, green moment

Filled with future and final victories

Or failures, smithed in yesterday’s dreamscapes

Of polished words that seem to form themselves.

Interim Ethic

War drums reverse all harmony,

All good; the children of their wrath

And the brittle-boned, a bloodbath

Share, both fate and burst destiny.

Arrogance builds the status quo,

The sated pomp, the prettiness.

All bores brag, sans the dare, the fuss,

As they trip the curving narrow.

The other way, which sets a goal,

It lights the world in what should be,

A faith in our mythology—

A warmth of words, a mountain’s soul.

Grammarian’s Nightmare

The words themselves were rearranged

By other words that had no souls.

It happened thus: the world’s deranged

Marched forward on a bed of coals.

Essay from ASHIROVA DILRABO ERMATOVNA

Young Central Asian woman with short dark hair, red lipstick, and a silver collared shirt and black coat.

Motivation

If a person sets one goal in their life, no force can stop them….

1. The goal is to never give up.

2. The goal is to not forget the initial goal.

You tried to do something… But it didn’t work out… it didn’t work out, never complain, be patient. Every failure should encourage you. Get up and try. The result will be better than you expected.

We know that no matter how big the door is, it can be opened, and this is, of course, an effort. You should achieve such success that those around you will talk about your victories, not yourself. Only then will your willpower and effort develop even more…

Throughout my career, my students have asked me one question a lot.

—Teacher, who and what inspires you the most?

— I can get motivation from everyone and everything.

But throughout my career, there are magic words that wake me up every morning and help me teach my students…

Excuse me, if necessary, your colleague, who you have worked with for thirty years, sometimes rushes through the school threshold, even when the distance between you is only 10-15 meters, saying, “Okay, I’ll see you when I get inside,” but he’s waiting for me, he’s always waiting, now and in the future…

You might be wondering, what are these words? These are magical and shining words like the sun…

The words “WELCOME” written on the forehead of our school…

Tashkent region. Piskent district. Primary school teacher of secondary school No. 14 ASHIROVA DILRABO ERMATOVNA.

Poetry from Grace Lee

The Photograph

Between the frames, the camera

captures teal, splashing water, and my

brother’s legs kicking through the pool.

Behind the camera, pool water drips

from my hair, cold as the ice cubes

jostling in the drink I grasp tightly

in my hand. A symphony of hues

danced upon the pool’s surface, as

the turquoise blue water met the

gleaming golden sunrays, shining

through cracks between marshmallow

clouds. The leaves by the poolside

rustled, and short grass blades swayed

in the soft wind. Sunlight hugged us all.

Walking past the pool, scents mingled

in the air, from fragrant roses to toasty,

buttery pancakes, as stray leaves brushed

past my tanned, twiddling fingertips.

On the Walk Home

On the walk

home, while an icy drink cooled my

left hand, the flowers around me

released soft, fragrant scents. The

subtle sweetness of the roses was

intoxicating, while the dust of an array

of dandelions tickled my nose. Even

the slow buzz of bees seemed tuneful,

like nature’s quiet melody. Moss green

leaves brushed my fingertips as I trotted

through, entranced by the beauty of it all.

Even today, the scene replays in my mind.

——————

Yesterday, the sun shone through

my window at a quarter past six.

The alarm rang then, like the piercing

screech of an unwelcome rooster.

Mumbling and trudging, I hastily dressed

before a vehicle whisked me to school.

A blur of quiet laughter, presentations,

and questions passed through me like

harsh gusts of wind. When they passed,

peace settled in its place.

Vaguely Familiar

A postcard never sent.

Dust transfers to my

fingers as I examine it.

Ink has bled like veins,

turning its message faint.

The postcard holds a photograph

with no one looking at the camera.

Darting between the silhouettes,

my memory strains, catching on

vaguely familiar shapes.

One face holds me still, tied to

a name I almost remember.

Once easily spoken, now,

its syllables are hollow and dim.

As my eyes fixate, I hear the

echo of a goodbye they never gave.

I recall the sight of eyes darting,

feet stomping, and doors slamming,

before they vanished like snow on

a spring morning, leaving behind

nothing but a dark memory.


Grace Lee, a high school student in Seoul, South Korea, is passionate about words. Whether crafting stories or poems, she blends her unique perspective with the vibrant culture of Seoul. Excited to contribute to the literary landscape, Grace’s writing reflects the universal themes of adolescence in a big city.