it was no time for love outside- old winds of worship found hand and mouth in ruined rain slanting over cultured fields into pagan barns with patched up planks finding us two misfits.
i felt the pulse of your undressed fingers transmit thoughts to my senses- aroused by autumn scents of milky musk and husky hay in this barn’s faith we climbed the rungs of civilisation so random in our exile-
and found a bell housed inside a minaret- with priest and muezzin sharing its balcony- summoning all to prayer with one voice- this holy music, was only the wind blowing through the weathervane, but we liked its tone to change its time.
LOW VAULTED CEILINGS
within those man stone walls promoting their god bringing us to him i told the priest- you tell us to be content with poverty while you live in this big house throwing us scraps begged from money lenders. this is not what Jesus asked his disciples to do. this is not what he died for. he said live amongst us and share what they have. the priest, red with rage, oppressive and oppressed- pulled my mam aside made her shrink in his stare weep in his words walk me in our sins from his dark-damp house of angels. outside in feral sunshine i pointed to grinning gargoyles chasing chastened shadows back down primitive paths- to a cellar flat, bare bulb dangling prison beam probing baptised flesh and mam tipped tears soaking into straw mattresses sucking up cold from the flagstone floor woodworms eating a Van Gogh table where six mouths sat sharing stale bread and cold beans with whiskered skirting board mice. years later, i left Dedalus in Dublin in the pages of a book to his epiphany and Jesuit suit of guilt- while i quenched my glistening fruit in street light ladies- drenched in smokey curling dancing clouds and stories from voices bouncing off low vaulted ceilings caressing human in darkness.
OLD CAFE
a rest, from swinging bar and animals in the abattoir- to smoke in mental thinks spoken holding cooling drinks.
counting out old coppers to be fed in the set squares of blue and red plastic table cloth- just enough to break up bread in thick barley broth.
Jesus is late after saying he was coming back to share the wealth and real estate of capitalist cunning.
maybe. just maybe. put another song on the jukebox baby: no more heroes anymore. what are we fighting for-
he’s hiding in hymns and chants, in those Monty Python underpants, from this coalition of new McCarthy’s and its institutions of Moriarty’s.
some shepherds sheep will do this dance in hypothermic trance, for one pound an hour like a shamed flower,
watched by sinister sentinels- while scratched tubular bells, summon all to sunday service where invisible myths exist-
to a shamed flower with supernatural power comes the hour.
AN OLD WOODEN BOAT
an old wooden boat,
the long sail through erotic journey
tattered and torn,
lip red paint peeling on planked carcass,
bleaches on a sandbar-
the silent tributary
of its river bed
dried and cracked.
smudges of mascara
over scented seasons
woman the shell of a dress
she wore
with full breasts
and firm behind.
i remember-
don’t take
the corn coloured sun for granted,
or ignore
her constellation and unmentioned course,
unless, you want to pace the deck,
invisible to love
counting silent stars
talking to the unknown.
DOES HER FAR BEAUTY KNOW
does her
far beauty know
where my thoughts go
without her
when i walk
in lush rain lashing down-
squatting in enclosed fields
of remote wheat and barley
around told feudal cities and towns-
to talk
to fate and how it feels
to be emptied entirely
of hopes sounds-
these evolutions
fill rich men’s purses
and revolutions
are poor universes
that try to bend
the unequal
to be equal
without end.
does her
far beauty know
where my thoughts go
with her
when i walk
in lush rain lashing down-
soaked in moments come to this
paradise and precipice
belonging
bonding
thoughts
serendipitous
blowing into us-
gives shelter to the self
of us and other else-
unlike bare rooms we rent
to leave behind
when change moves us to fit
into it-
with only our echo and scent
of passion and mind.
Strider Marcus Jones – is a poet, law graduate and former civil servant from Salford, England with proud Celtic roots in Ireland and Wales. He is the editor and publisher of Lothlorien Poetry Journal https://lothlorienpoetryjournal.blogspot.com/. A member of The Poetry Society, nominated for the Pushcart Prize x3 and Best of the Net x3, his five published books of poetry https://stridermarcusjonespoetry.wordpress.com/ reveal a maverick, moving between cities, playing his saxophone in smoky rooms.
Annotation: This article provides information on the preschool education system, enhancing the quality of education, decisions related to preschool education, and the development of creativity in preschool-aged children through the educational and upbringing process.
Keywords: Preschool education, creativity, appliqué, activity centers, developmental domains, sub-domains, state program, state standards.
Today, every citizen of our country witnesses the unprecedented changes taking place in the field of preschool education. The government has never before paid such systematic and complementary attention and provided such practical support to the preschool education system, which is considered the foundation of the entire educational system.
The meeting held on August 16, 2017, was a historic milestone in the preschool education system. On that day, the President of our country spoke about strengthening the national gene pool and outlined many directions for the development of early childhood education.
In particular, important tasks were set to fundamentally reform the structure of the preschool education system and ensure full enrollment of children in these institutions.
“When we speak about the vital issue of education and upbringing in our lives, we must repeatedly recall the wise words of our ancestor Abdulla Avloniy: ‘Education and upbringing are a matter of life and death for us’,” the President said. In any field, we cannot achieve progress or a prosperous life without nurturing modern, competent personnel. Training such individuals and forming a healthy national gene pool starts first and foremost with the preschool education system.¹
In line with the Presidential Decree of September 30, 2017, “On measures to fundamentally improve the management of the preschool education system,” and the decision “On the organization of the activities of the Ministry of Preschool Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan,” a new system was introduced.
To that end, a modern, continuous education system was implemented, ensuring comprehensive social development of the individual. The main goals were to create a perfect educational system that enables children to become well-rounded individuals and to increase its effectiveness.
A child is the light of life, a continuation of the lineage, and the dream of a healthy generation—a value that has been passed down by our ancestors for millennia and forms the essence of our families, our lives, and our aspirations.
Special attention has been given at the state policy level to the upbringing of a healthy generation in our country. The future of our homeland is directly linked to the scientific potential, talent, and independent thinking of today’s youth. All conditions have been created in Uzbekistan for children’s education and upbringing.
By decision No. 802 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated December 22, 2020, the “State Standard for Preschool Education and Upbringing” was adopted. Section 4.8 of this standard outlines the state requirements for the development of children of early and preschool age, the state curriculum for preschool education institutions, and its effective implementation in the educational process.
Section 4.13 of the state requirements elaborates on the “Creative Development” domain and its sub-domains:
Artistic perception of the world
Artistic and creative abilities
This domain emphasizes the requirement that “the child should have the ability to creatively transform the surrounding reality.” Based on the state curriculum, activity centers have been introduced in preschools to organize the educational and upbringing process effectively:
Language and speech center
Construction, modeling, and mathematics center
Art center
Dramatic play and role-play center
Science and nature center
Children’s creative abilities can be clearly observed during activities conducted within these centers. In particular, the role of the teacher is crucial in developing children’s creative potential and in creating the necessary conditions for their creativity.
The art center, in particular, offers opportunities to uplift the child’s mood and support their creative skills. Artistic talents like drawing or sculpting are not innate in every child, which may result in fewer children participating in this center. However, with proper equipment and regular instruction during morning and evening sessions, the center can be developed. Activities at the art center include appliqué, drawing, and clay work.
Appliqué is a technique for creating images by gluing or stitching colored paper, fabric, or other materials onto a base to form patterns, flowers, or pictures. This technique originated among nomadic peoples around 2,500 years ago. Through the summarization of educators’ experiences, the following benefits of appliqué have been identified:
Development of aesthetic perception and artistic taste
Development of artistic and graphic skills
Enhancement of imagination, creative thinking, and spatial awareness
Refinement of hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills
Acquisition of certain artistic creation techniques
Introduction to local and global artistic cultures
Identification of potential for future artistic professions
During these activities, children often create innovations, and sometimes offer original works in the form of drawings or constructions. Spatial imagination plays a vital role in the formation of creativity. Well-developed imagination is the foundation of creativity and contributes to the creation of new artistic images.
According to scientists, humans can distinguish around 1,300 different colors. This suggests that the world around us is rich with subtle hues and unique beauty. Activities in the art center not only introduce children to colors and their properties, how to combine them, and how to mix them to create new colors, but also strengthen their ability to differentiate colors.
Appliqué activities conducted in preschool institutions contribute to the development of sensory perception, aesthetic education, formation of labor skills, and the emergence of willpower and character traits in young children.
Appliqué stimulates imagination, encourages creativity, activates observation skills, and nurtures attention, imagination, and willpower. It also enhances hand skills and develops the ability to use scissors and glue. These modern teaching methods increase children’s engagement and interest. Through appliqué, children learn cutting techniques and create beautiful, creative works from paper, plants, and straw. Teaching non-traditional methods regularly within their chosen direction draws the children’s attention and inspires them to enjoy visual arts, appreciate beauty, and love the world around them.
Conclusion: In conclusion, all the reforms being implemented in our country in the field of education and upbringing aim to provide preschool-aged children with quality education and upbringing, uncover their creative abilities, raise them as mature and well-rounded individuals, and prepare them effectively for school education.
In developing the preschool education system, efforts are being made to organize educational processes based on modern information and communication technologies, to conduct training seminars in cooperation with international organizations’ trainers to improve teachers’ qualifications, to develop children’s motivation and creativity, and to create educational materials inspired by international achievements in the field of education.
References:
Presidential Decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan, PQ-3261, dated September 9, 2017, “On measures to radically improve the preschool education system”
Presidential Decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan, PQ-3305, dated September 30, 2017, “On the organization of the Ministry of Preschool Education”
Resolution No. 802 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, dated December 22, 2020, “On approval of the State Standard for Preschool Education and Upbringing”
Rahimova N. E. “Carrying out Appliqué Work and Its Types.” Urgench, 2019
Website: Kun.uz
Karimova Navbaxar Mahmudjanovna Born on March 25, 1984, in Gurlan district of Khorezm region, into a family of intellectuals.
From 1990 to 1998, she studied at School No. 1 in Gurlan district. From 1998 to 2001, she continued her education at Gymnasium No. 6 in Gurlan, graduating with excellent marks.
Between 2001 and 2003, she studied in the Nursing field at the Electro-Medical Technical School in the capital city, Tashkent, and successfully graduated with honors.
From 2020 to 2025, she completed her bachelor’s degree in the field of Preschool Education at Urgench State University.
Currently, she is working as an educator at Preschool Educational Institution No. 9, a multi-disciplinary specialized preschool institution under the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, located in Gurlan district, Khorezm region.
She is fluent in both Russian and Turkish.
In 2023, she was awarded the badge of honor “Devoted Specialist of Her Profession”.
In 2024, she was awarded the badge of honor “Top Scientific Researcher of the Year”.
In 2025, she received the honorary badge “Excellence in Preschool and School Education”.
She is the author of the methodological guidebook “Inclusive Education in Preschool Institutions”. Her published books include: “Towards My Goals”, “For You, Dear Child”, and “Discoverer Children”. She has published numerous articles in international newspapers and journals. Her article “STEAM Technologies in Preschool Institutions” was published in Turkey in the book titled “Leading Women and Girls of Uzbekistan”.
In life, every person has someone they can lean on, someone they trust wholeheartedly, someone closest to their heart. For me, that person is my mother.
She is not just a mother — she is my guiding light, my kind soul, my confidante, and most importantly, my pillar of strength. The word “mother” is not an ordinary word — it symbolizes bravery, the highest form of patience and loyalty, and an endless source of love. The greatness, compassion, and profound meaning in the word “mother” can only be felt through the heart.
A mother’s heart holds pure and unconditional love, untouched by any circumstances. My mother is the most ideal person in my life. Every step she has taken in life has been for her children. She has endured every hardship with patience and strength. To this day, she has been ready to sacrifice anything for the happiness, health, and future of her four children.
This is not something ordinary — this is proof of the boundless greatness, courage, and nobility of a mother’s heart. My mother has always been my strength. Every time I fell, she held my hand. Every time I cried, she wiped away my tears. Every time I rejoiced, she was even happier than me.
My mother is not a confidante for just a day, but for a lifetime. She is the only person to whom I can tell my deepest secrets, who never judges me, and who accepts me just as I am. Her embrace is a sanctuary of peace, love, and kindness. Her every prayer is a light on my path, and every look in her eyes strengthens my heart.
If someone were to ask me who the most ideal person in my life is, I wouldn’t hesitate to say: “It’s my mother.” Because she is unmatched in love, limitless in sacrifice, and undefeatable in patience.
My mother not only gave me life, but also taught me how to live it. If I am someone today, it is because of her efforts, love, and prayers. She is my greatest treasure, my most trusted friend, and my most loving teacher — the one I will always rely on.
I, Boyqobilova Nargiz Alimardonovna, was born on September 8, 2001, in Oqarbuloq Mahalla, Oltinsoy District, Surkhandarya Region. I am 25 years old. Currently, I am the beloved first daughter of my parents and my parents-in-law, a cherished wife to my husband, and a proud mother of two sweet daughters.
I am a third-year student at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, majoring in Biology at Termez State University.
This is from an anonymous author speaking on behalf of the citizens of the United States. Please feel welcome to share anywhere and everywhere.
A Declaration of Independence
In the United States of America, July 4, 2025
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all human beings are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.—That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among humankind, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.—Such has been the patient sufferance of this people; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former government. The history of the current president of the United States of America, Donald John Trump, is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his assent to laws, instituted by Congress and most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden Congress to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has attacked groups and individuals repeatedly, for opposing with firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither.
He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws securing the powers of the judiciary.
He has sought to make judges dependent on his will alone.
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and to abduct, imprison and deport them without due process of law or any legal accountability.
He has kept among us armies against the will of the people.
He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to the civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws;
For endangering our trade with all parts of the world:
For depriving us of the benefits of legal representation against the arbitrary actions of the federal government:
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free system of our laws, establishing therein an arbitrary government;
For endangering our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:
He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.
He has enticed our fellow citizens across the country to bear arms against their country, to become abductors and jailkeepers of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.
In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
We, therefore, the people of the United States of America, appealing to the supreme judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by authority of the good people of these states, solemnly publish and declare, that these United States are, and of right ought to be free from the tyranny of this presidential administration; that they are absolved from all allegiance to Donald John Trump, and that all political connection between them and him is and ought to be totally dissolved. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
A snail shell fell out of my pocket while I was putting my coat away, and I had forgotten about picking it up. So nondescript and plain it was but also wonderful, part of the natural world. I had not had a chance to really look at it a lot. Unlike in stories or fable-like things, it was not extravagant or something one would really notice. In fact, it was not only generic and common to the area, but faded tremendously, perhaps for age or the sun, I am not sure.
Those worlds out there calmer than the other worlds so fast and ambitious, clever and calculating, crowded and often callous.
It was white with brown swirls that went around. I had always liked snails and half adopted them as the idea for a totem ‘animal’ or symbol when others chose the wolf, the eagle, the lion, or even the hawk. I could move fast, but chose to move slowly and just go however I did, come what fates may, much as the snail moved along slowly. If sensing almost anything, these type of snails anyhow, would move back into their shell.
Where did I find it?- at the end of a field where the land meets a stream, and the thawed waters now rush past intent on their destiny, alive alive alive,- a sure sign of if not spring having bloomed, then at least winter having ended. Some rocks are there and bits of ice still linger around them, remnants of the long frozen months. This is a liminal time, a moment between winter and true spring. Tall feral stalks and reeds golden, resilient, rising up still to the sun in the blue sky. Yes it just sat there alone and I figured I’d pick it up, hold it, and put it in my pocket.
Then as aforementioned, I forgot about it.
That area has a large woodpecker sometimes, and myriad small birds, plus there was a group of swans just a few days ago, having gathered in a little adjacent pond.
It’s not as if there is nothing to photograph, write about.
The snail shell I like. Who thinks about it?- especially since there is not even a snail. I am sure there are in the world somewhere, snail enthusiasts. And what can be thought of as the opposite even, was there yesterday. What? A heron flying across the way, and some people have argued that it is the most beautiful bird of birds. Definitely it is graceful, agile, majestic. Perhaps beyond compare. When it waves wings they look as if they are in slow motion.
But someone has to mind the lowly snail shell, I would think. Maybe not, but I would think so. Details. Forgotten things. Some artifacts never even seen at all.
Once a poor man picked up a penny and the others souls laughed. But the poor man became a rich man, who the world respected. Maybe though I have no motive one way or other, appreciating the snail might bring me some sort of luck or positive happenstance.
