Poetry from Murodillayeva Mohinur

Central Asian teen girl with dark hair in braids and brown eyes and a white frilly blouse.

Mother…

My treacherous friends set a trap,

I did not expect loyalty from anyone.

I have been looking for you for a long time, my faithful man,

I am amazed at your patience today.

I’m a fool who painted whites on your hair,

Tell me if I’m worth it, mother.

I cry that the world is a lie

I’m sorry, I can’t look you in the eyes.

Ranjima from Mohinur,

Now I know how much you appreciate me.

Mom, I’m amazed at your patience today.

I see the world again

Murodillayeva Mohinur, a 10th-grade student of the 44th general secondary school of Guzor district, Kashkadarya region.

Poetry from Mahbub Alam

Middle aged South Asian man with reading glasses, short dark hair, and an orange and green and white collared shirt. He's standing in front of a lake with bushes and grass in the background.
Mahbub Alam

A Migratory Bird

Man flies like birds

Man soars higher and higher

Man with his spirit raises more than we count

The light of the stars twinkling in the sky

Birds have their wing power

Man with intelligence overcomes all

I fly to thee, my loving star

A relation with the moon and the ocean

Always playing a charm of tide and ebb

In this salty flow of tide overflows a new life

Spread the glow on the face

The eyes like the rosy petals

Touches both of the hearts.

Chapainawabganj,  Bangladesh

30 September, 2024

Md. Mahbubul Alam is from Bangladesh. His writer name is Mahbub John in Bangladesh. He is a Senior Teacher (English) of Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh. Chapainawabganj is a district town of Bangladesh. He is an MA in English Literature from Rajshahi College under National University. He has published three books of poems in Bangla. He writes mainly poems but other branches of literature such as prose, article, essay etc. also have been published in national and local newspapers, magazines, little magazines. He has achieved three times the Best Teacher Certificate and Crest in National Education Week in the District Wise Competition in Chapainawabganj District. He has gained many literary awards from home and abroad. His English writings have been published in Synchronized Chaos for seven years.

Essay from Dilnura Qurolova

Teen Central Asian girl with her hair up in a bun behind her head. There's a leafy tree behind her on a sunny day.
Ecology and me

What do we mean by ecology? Ecology is a complex of biological sciences that studies the structure of systems, populations, biocenoses, biogeocenoses, that is, the structure of the ecosystem and the biosphere, the processes that take place in them. The term ecology was coined in 1866 by the German scientist E. Haeckel It was proposed to determine the relationship with. It can lead to chaos and disturbance. As a result of disturbing the ecological balance, it has a deep and bad effect on human health. Therefore, try your best to avoid causing environmental problems and to eliminate these problems!

  What can you think of as environmental problems?

One of the main problems is air pollution and global warming. Due to the humidification of the air, the ozone layer is collapsing. The origin of this problem is the harmful gases emitted by enterprises and cars. If we talk about the problem of global warming, as a result of this, glaciers are melting and animals living on these glaciers are dying. Especially polar bears. Due to this, it is necessary to reduce and eliminate the occurrence of such problems.


Kurolova Dilnura Shokirjon's daughter was born on October 15, 2009 in Gurlan district of Khorezm region. She is currently a student of the 8th grade of the 30th school. To date, she has achieved many achievements.

Poetry from Rukshona Rasulova

Teen Central Asian girl with dark hair and a white collared shirt.

My grandmother left us today

My grandmother left us today

She flew to the skies, my love

When will you come back?

Come quickly, dear grandmother.

What will your children do now that you are

You didn’t attend your grandchildren’s weddings

At weddings, eyebrows are raised 

You did not sit in the nets.

My father left you 

You cheated and cheated 

Advising and praying

You have gone to the second world.

70 against the spring

You did the work

After the Prophet’s age 

You have entered heaven.

My child is my child

You made everyone happy

Your love is overflowing

You escaped three times.

Your daughter is Gulshanoy

Your son is Wahabjon

All your children

Grandma is waiting for you.

Be happy when a guest comes

You said write a table

He hugged the guest

You are welcome.

How much pain from your head 

You had a good time, grandma

When I say I have recovered 

You are gone, grandmother.

For children

My grandmother couldn’t get enough

At grandchildren’s weddings

He did not sit down, my dear.

May you be blessed in the hereafter, my grandmother

May your place be in heaven, my dear

May your heart always be bright

God bless you my god.

Rasulova Rukhshona Vahobjon’s daughter was born on October 16, 2008 in Rishton district of Fergana region. In 2015, she started studying in the 1st grade of school 34 in this district. Currently, she is a 10th grade student at this school. Rukhshona Rasulova is interested in participating in various competitions, writing poems and stories, and reading many books.

She regularly participates in school and district competitions and takes pride of place. She has also participated in many online contests and earned international certificates.

She is a member of various creative teams and the winner of the 2024 Science Horizon project and the owner of the badge “Follower of the Great Fighters”. She won 2nd place in the district stage of the intellectual game “Zakovat.”

As a young artist she has unlimited goals in her heart. Her biggest dream is to become a “young reader”. Rukhshona Rasulova’s poems were published in one of the most prestigious magazines of Great Britain “Raven Cage” and “Kenya Time” in Thailand. And she has participated in various anthologies covering artists across the Republic. Her creative works are included in the collections “Travel to the land of happiness”, “Young talents”, “Youth of Uzbekistan”, “Heart lines”, “Stars of the sky”, “Ijod va me”.

She also published a number of creative works in the international anthology “Buyuk jadidchilar izdoshi” almanac-anthology, which was held across the Republic. Currently, she is the head of the “Young creatives” circle at Ruhshona 34 general secondary school. At the same time, her creative works were also published in the newspaper “Tong ystziri” published throughout the Republic. And Shijoat is the regional coordinator of the free volunteering organization. We hope you will enjoy reading some of her works.

Poetry from Stephen Jarrell Williams

Dream Swept

So tired

as night sets in

laying back

my head on the pillow

alone

in my room

my last dollar

gone

and I tell myself

tomorrow will be better

when I walk down the highway

and hitch a ride

to the city in the sky.

Saint

Beautiful lady

wind soft in your hair

looking to the sky

clouds like puffs from your lips

believing in yourself

like your mother said

kindness to everyone

will keep you safe

even the thunder protecting you

rain washing all sin away.

Heavenly

At night

where does the music come from

far

floating in sleep

notes whispering

from when you were a child

the meaning

in everything

your heart guiding

thoughts of love

a majestic hum

from God

above.

Synchronized Chaos October 2024: Fears and Aspirations

Painting of a mountain vista with tree-lined ridges shrouded in mist. Some bare trees in the foreground, others with leaves in the background.
Image c/o J.L. Field

Christopher Bernard will be reading at the Poets for Palestine SF Marathon Reading at San Francisco’s Bird and Beckett Bookstore. For a donation of any amount to the Middle East Children’s Alliance, a nonpartisan and nonpolitical organization helping all children in the region, poets can come and read at any time at the store on October 14th, Indigenous People’s Day. Please feel welcome to sign up here or email poetsforpalestinesf@gmail.com to be scheduled.

This month’s issue addresses our fears and aspirations: whether life will become what we dread, or what we hope.

Wazed Abdullah revels in the joy of the Bangladesh monsoon as Don Bormon celebrates flowers and wispy clouds in autumn. Maurizio Brancaleoni contributes bilingual haiku spotlighting days at the beach, insects, cats, and the rain. Brian Barbeito shares the experience of walking his dogs as summer turns to fall.

Soren Sorensen probes and stylizes sunsets in his photography series. Lan Qyqualla rhapsodizes about love, dreams, flowers, colors, poetry, and harp music. Ilhomova Mohichehra poetically welcomes autumn to her land.

John L. Waters reviews Brian Barbeito’s collection of poetry and photography Still Some Summer Wind Coming Through, pointing out how it showcases nature and the “subtle otherworldly” within seemingly ordinary scenes. Oz Hartwick finds a bit of the otherworldly within his ordinary vignettes as he shifts his perspective.

Spectral figure in a white ragged cloth standing in a forest clearing amid barred trees, illuminated by light.
Image c/o Circe Denyer

Kelly Moyer crafts stylized photographic closeups of ordinary scenes, rendering the familiar extraordinary. Ma Yongbo paints scenes where ordinary life becomes unreal, suffused with images associated with horror.

Sayani Mukherjee speaks of a bird’s sudden descent into a field of flowers and comments on our wildness beneath the surface. Jake Cosmos Aller illustrates physical attraction literally driving a person wild.

Mesfakus Salahin asserts that were the whole natural world to become silent, his love would continue. Mahbub Alam views life as a continual journey towards his beloved. Tuliyeva Sarvinoz writes tenderly of a mother and her young son and of the snow as a beloved preparing for her lover. Sevinch Tirkasheva speaks of young love and a connection that goes deeper than looks. llhomova Mohichehra offers up tender words for each of her family members. She also expresses a kind tribute to a classmate and friend.

Meanwhile, rather than describing tender loving affection, Mykyta Ryzhykh gets in your face with his pieces on war and physical and sexual abuse. His work speaks to the times when life seems to be an obscenity. Z.I. Mahmud looks at William Butler Yeats’ horror-esque poem The Second Coming through the lens of Yeats’ contemporary and tumultuous European political situation.

Alexander Kabishev’s next tale of life during the blockade of St. Petersburg horrifies with its domestic brutality. Almustapha Umar weeps with grief over the situations of others in his country.

Dark-skinned person with hands outstretched and cupped to show off an image of the world in natural colors for desert, forest, ocean.
Image c/o Omar Sahel

In a switch back to thoughts of hope, Lidia Popa speaks to the power of poetry and language to connect people across social divides. Hari Lamba asserts his vision for a more just and equal America with better care for climate and ecology. Perizyat Azerbayeva highlights drip irrigation as a method to tackle the global problem of a shortage of clean drinkable water. Eldorbek Xotamov explores roles for technology and artificial intelligence in education.

Elmaya Jabbarova expresses her hopes for compassion and peace in our world. Eva Petropoulou affirms that action, not mere pretty words, are needed to heal our world.

Ahmad Al-Khatat’s story illustrates the healing power of intimate love after the trauma of surviving war and displacement. Graciela Noemi Villaverde reflects on the healing calm of silence after war.

Meanwhile, Christopher Bernard showcases the inhumanity of modern warfare in a story that reads at first glance like a sci-fi dystopia. Daniel De Culla also calls out the absurdity of war and the grossness of humor in the face of brutality.

Pat Doyne probes the roots of anti-Haitian immigrant rumors in Springfield, Ohio and critiques fear-mongering. Jorabayeva Ezoza Otkir looks to nature for metaphors on the corrosive nature of hate.

Black and white photo of a line of soldiers carrying packs and rifles marching past a body of water.
Image c/o Jack Bro Jack Renald

On a personal level, Nosirova Gavhar dramatizes various human responses to loss and trauma. Kendall Snipper dramatizes an eating disorder ravaging a woman’s life and body.

Donna Dallas’ characters are lonely, bruised by life, and drawn to what’s not good for them: drugs, bad relationships, lovers who don’t share their dreams. J.J. Campbell evokes his miserable life situation with dark humor.

Meanwhile, Maja Milojkovic savors each moment as she creates her own happiness through a positive attitude. In the same vein, Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa celebrates the power of a free and self-confident mind and the joy of spending time with small children.

Tuliyeva Sarvinoz urges us to move forward toward our goals with faith and dedication. Numonjonova Shahnozakhon echoes that sentiment, encouraging perseverance and resilience. S. Afrose resolves to move forward in life with optimism and self-respect.

Michael Robinson reflects on the peace he finds in his continuing Christian walk. Federico Wardal reviews anthropologist Claudia Costa’s research into spiritual fasting practices among the Yawanawa tribe in Brazil.

Small mud house with a roof of stacked reeds and a wooden door. From Neolithic times near Stonehenge.
Image c/o Vera Kratochvil

Duane Vorhees explores questions of legacy, inheritance, and immortality, both seriously and with humor. Isabel Gomes de Diego highlights Spanish nature and culture with her photographic closeups of flowers, religious icons, and a drawing made as a gift for a child’s parents. Federico Wardal highlights the archaeological findings of Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass and his upcoming return to San Francisco’s De Young Museum. Zarina Bo’riyeva describes the history and cultural value of Samarkand.

Sarvinoz Mansurova sends outlines from a conference she attended on Turkic-adjacent cultures, exploring her region as well as her own Uzbek culture.

Barchinoy Jumaboyeva describes her affection for her native Uzbekistan, viewing the country as a spiritual parent. Deepika Singh explores the mother-daughter relationship in India and universally through her dialogue poem.

David Sapp’s short story captures the feel of decades-ago Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday as it describes a dream meeting between lovers in Rome. Mickey Corrigan renders the escapades and tragedies of historical women writers into poetry.

Duane Vorhees draws a parallel between Whitman’s detractors and those who would criticize Jacques Fleury’s poetry collection You Are Enough: The Journey To Accepting Your Authentic Self for having a non-traditional style.

Faded sepia note paper with script writing, veined autumn red and orange leaves from birches or aspens made from paper in the right and left corners.
Image c/o Linnaea Mallette

This set of poems from Jacques Fleury expresses a sophisticated childlike whimsy. A few other pieces carry a sense of wry humor. Daniel De Culla relates a tale of inadvertently obtaining something useful through an email scam. Taylor Dibbert reflects on our escapes and “guilty pleasures.”

Noah Berlatsky reflects on both his progress as a poet and editors’ changing tastes. Sometimes it takes growing and maturing over time as a person to create more thoughtful craft.

Alan Catlin strips artworks down to their bare essential elements in his list poetry, drawing attention to main themes. Mark Young focuses on kernels of experience, on the core of what matters in the moment. J.D. Nelson captures sights, experiences, and thoughts into evocative monostich poems worthy of another reading.

Kylian Cubilla Gomez’ pictures get close up to everyday miracles: a beetle, car components, action figures, a boy in a dinosaur costume.

We hope that this issue, while being open about the worries we face, is also a source of everyday miracles and thought-provoking ideas. Enjoy!