———————————————————————

nightmare after nightmare

the holidays…

where some people

drown themselves

in nostalgia

where those of us

that grew up in

dysfunctional

families

get to relive nightmare

after nightmare

what i tend to think

about when the holidays

come around is my

father’s father

i never got to meet

him

he committed suicide

three years after my

father was born

as i have grown older

i can’t help but think

he was probably the

smartest man ever

to live

—————————————————————

sunk into the creases of existence

pride will kill

you faster than

any disease

i was told that

long before i

could understand

what it meant

fast forward to

a bad back, arthritis

head to toe, apathy

racing through the

veins and i’m pretty

sure i’m an expert

by now

the dreams of exploring

the world and becoming

a legend died in my

twenties

and before life

simply became

a battle between

bottles of lotion

and liquor

i had sunk into

the creases of

existence

laughing in the

shadows

pretending that any

of this had meaning

empty and broken

pride no longer exists

i suppose now it

is up to the disease

————————————————————————

that tempting myth

the bitter taste of defeat

the sad songs of christmas

always hit the hardest

love, that tempting myth

so many miles away

like water in a world

of concrete

and here comes the

neon of the season

joy wrapped up

in a bundle of

greed

these are the moments

where i wish i could

sleep more than four

hours a day

they tell me all these

things that will happen

when you die

i laugh

i tend to think nothing

will happen

and if it does

i won’t have much

say about it, being

dead and all

—————————————————————

chaos and bewilderment

a paper cut that won’t

stop bleeding

a sign that the end

is near

must be the most

beautiful time

of the year

hot enough on christmas

to be wearing shorts

i suppose this is the future

we have all been running

from

chaos and bewilderment

i believe that is a drink

i made by mistake in

my teenage years

i haven’t closed a bar

in a couple of decades

now

that probably held off

a disease or two

the sound of darlene love

will put me to sleep tonight

solitude on christmas never

felt right, just what i had

still time for that to change

but not as long as i would

like

—————————————————————-

where they came from

a buddy i used

to work with

said one night

that the problem

with the world is

men spend their

whole damn lives

trying to get back

in where they

came from

everyone laughed

and i took another

drag from a cigarette

i said dan, explain

this to me

i was a c-section

he laughed

and said hope you

won’t be lonely

forever

fucker…

J.J. Campbell (1976 – ?) is old enough to know better. He’s been widely published over the years, most recently at Disturb the Universe Magazine, The Beatnik Cowboy, Crossroads Magazine, The Rye Whiskey Review and Yellow Mama. You can find him most days at home in Ohio taking care of his disabled mother and betting on sports. Most people will say he’s okay at both, most days. He does still have a blog, evil delights, but rarely has the time to write on it. (https://evildelights.blogspot.com)

Women’s Journey  

You have seen the woman 

Sushmita from Jhasi Rani, 

But why, without the power of disorientation, 

Get over the fear! Have you seen 

Nazrul’s poem! 

There are broken locks, women’s talk.

 understand yourself, 

Move forward with freedom, keep your direction. 

Let men and women 

Complement each other, flow. 

You are good, you guide the sweet path, 

You are the family matter to keep. 

You are the light of love, blessed with love, 

Ignore the storm and rain, 

All is well in your patience, 

No matter how hard it is to build your life, 

The essence of showing uprooted. 

Create yourself with value & creativity.

23.12.2025

Short biography: Amb. Dr. Priyanka Neogi from Coochbehar. She is an administrative Controller of United Nations PAF, librarian, CEO of Lio Messi International Property & Land Consultancy, international literacy worker, sports & peace promoter, dancer, singer, reciter, live telecaster, writer, editor, researcher, literary journalist, host, beauty queen, international coordinator of the Vijay Mission of Community Welfare Foundation of India.

Interview with Ruqaya Mehran 

Conducted by Eva Petropoulou Lianou 

Dear Ruqaya Mehran, tell us about your childhood.

Where were you born?

Egypt, and I have Turkish roots from my family and ancestors.

What were you dreaming as a child, and have you achieved your dream?

I used to dream of being a media personality, journalist, and actress, and now I’m a university student studying advertising, journalism, and acting. Also, I’m Deputy Head of Media at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

I also worked as a reporter, attended academies, and joined public relations teams. I am a voice-over and dubbing artist and also an Ambassador of Middle Eastern Media and a Middle Eastern Program Presenter. Yes, I have achieved much, but I still dream and dream….

What is more important to you, journalism or acting?

Personally, I love both journalism and acting, but I love acting more.

What are you dreaming?

I dream of many things, including being a world-renowned, famous, and skilled actress and presenter.

How do you feel being popular and having followers who are inspired by you?

I feel proud when my followers increase; I feel like an inspiring person, and the admiration grows.

What is your goal now?

My goal is to finish my bachelor’s degree and continue my studies abroad.

What is your favourite dish?

Yes, I love Egyptian food, especially feseekh (fermented mullet) and herring. I love them so much; they are among the most famous dishes in Egypt. I also really love Greek salad.

What is your favourite book?

Yes, I read, but I don’t have any favorite books besides psychology books and language learning books.

What is your message to the new generations?

“To the generations to come: never underestimate the power of your voice. Speak with honesty, act with integrity, and remember that true influence comes from inspiring others, not from seeking attention.”

What is your wish for 2026?

My wish for 2026 is to achieve all my dreams of entering the world of acting, working more, becoming famous, and earning more than my current profession.

Travel and success in my studies are also important to me.

Ruqaya Mahran, a media and journalism student and actress, was an assistant secretary in the Training and Education Department of the Future of the Nation Party and the deputy head of media for the Ministry of Youth. Mahran is also a journalist and member of the public relations team for organizations and an ambassador of Middle East Media. She’s Egyptian with Turkish roots, a citizen of the whole world.

New Year’s 

This year like a fresh white page

Still warm from the press of tomorrow.

Midnight spills sparkling light on the snow

Time exhales, fast but taming.

We step forward carrying new seeds in our pockets,

Dreams as seashells,

Morning waves of calm

Singing a vibrant new song,

Sunlight rinses the dust 

For our new plans

Like a sea of healthy rhythms

For our new days

To breathe steady as waves

Learning our shore.

Hope stands tall

with a strong tree in winter 

And now a new beginning we grow.

Storijaesoehae

the man was there inside the dream but couldn’t be seen, and I wondered after if he was part of a dream or a spirit. maybe I won’t know or maybe I will try and find out through the Akashic, the record that always documents all things everywhere about everybody. He had senility and I said to the lady, ‘I should check on him as he has wandered but would like to address him out of respect by his name.’

‘The name is Storijaesoehae.’

‘What?’

‘Say it. You can say it. And say all the vowels.’

I went to the room down the hall and just called him ‘Sir.’ He was okay. Awake. Sitting. He looked to me like an older Gurdjieff, the strange mystical teacher, or William Saroyan the writer, again, in pictures of him as older. 

then I left the doorway, and I wondered later if he was real or imagined. I thought of him as a spiritual father of the woman, a concept I’d not heard of but might have existed. she knew his name after all. 

whatever was true, they had called for a wind and snowstorm, and they were correct as it was all crashing w/confidence against the upper windows by then. The forecasts also said this one was going to be bad, worse than usual, and were issuing weather warnings. 

I looked outside and took a deep breath, thinking, nearly always thinking…too mercurial for many reasons, mainly the star I was born under. The snow and wind increased and there was a whistle in the air, a whistle like some spirit from a novel or something. You have heard this whistle if you think about it for a moment. 

Let it all happen, I figured, for if it’s going to be winter let it be winter proper. 

____

Letter from open palms

You are an experience
that shivers away from my outstretched hands.
Dances upon my fingers, teasing me,
“I am something you will never have.”
Pulls on my arteries telling me,
“you are nothing. Nothing at all.”
Bruises the walls of my mind, tormenting me
with its laughter, singing, yelling, crying–
I am left with my blankets in the middle of the night,
looking to the figure past the glass
who says nothing,
nothing at all.

without Shame

In the absence of my cramping hands,
I run like a deer, no worries of headlights,
no Shame in my freedom.
I soak up sunlight like a sponge,
much more than what is necessary,
no Shame in my gluttony.
I let words spill out like tiny waterfalls,
no Shame in my impulsivity.
Whether that be good or bad is not up to me;
whether Shame be good or bad is not up to me.
Still, I am guilt-ridden,
I can only close my eyes and
think of a world without Shame.