Thank you to Jacques Fleury for responding to our request for readers to offer their expertise to assist writers! He has a variety of published writing which he can refer people to on request and is open to being interviewed on these topics:

-History of Haiti, as an author on the subject & as a Haiti born  American citizen 

-Black/African American History, as a “black” man who grew up in America & as an author on the subject

-Race and Racism, as a Person of Color having survived & thrived despite lived experience of racism & as author on subject

-Mental Health/Illness/Wellness & Recovery, having had lived experience & as an author on the subject

Everyone else, if you have an area of knowledge where you’d be glad to be interviewed to help people who are writing about that topic, please reach out to us at synchchaos@gmail.com.

Also, our contributor Abigail George’s book When Bad Mothers Happen, released January 2024 from European publisher Morten Rand, is available for Synchronized Chaos readers to review. Please let us know if this interests you and her publisher can send review copies (and we can publish reviews!)

It is available on Amazon here, and here is a link to a promo video.

This month, our contributors figure out how to make sense of the universe, piece by piece.

Alan Catlin renders lists and catalogues into a form of poetry, building up objects from their components, like a brick tower or a floral arrangement. J.D. Nelson crafts auditory and visual snapshots that can stand for and evoke an entire scene.

Soren Sorensen contributes mixed media alterations of reality and existential poetry on making sense of the universe. Mars Brocke’s mixed media artwork plays with reality and perception in a nod to Alice in Wonderland. His poetry, also surreal, evokes memories and states of mind. Martha Ellen conveys the psychological changes induced by benzodiapine medicine and the fluidity and vulnerability of the human brain and mind. Mark Young creatively defines concepts through descriptive words that once explained something.

Christina Chin and Uchechukwu Onyedikam’s collaborative haiku focuses on and thus highlights the value of noticing small and in-between moments.

Saidova Mahzuna outlines methods for learning and teaching vocabulary. Mo’minjonova Diyora highlights the benefits of continuing to read and learn throughout life. Sevinchoy Sanat outlines ways to enhance education through technology as Ibrohimova Durdonaxon outlines different areas to focus on when improving childhood education. However, sometimes the old ways still hold wisdom: Daniel De Culla relates a humorous tale of a modern woman who chooses to go with folk wisdom regarding her health. Gregg Norman presents a poem from the point of view of a character who’s living life to the fullest, with health benefits as incidental.

Noah Berlatsky muses on the identity of Spock and on what makes intriguing literary characters. Jacques Fleury reflects on his personal and cultural identity. Mesfakus Salahin speaks to life, death, and personal accountability, redemption, and the meaning of one individual life. David Sapp relates a tale of responsibility, honor, and mailboxes. Ranjan Sagar reminds us that others’ poor character need not diminish our own. Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa addresses the tension between roots and wings, needing to fly free and wanting a stable nest, and reflects on the end of life. Paul Tristram speaks to personal growth, strength, and self-discipline while Sarvinoz Mansurova shares her family’s dreams for her and her own aspirations. Nigora Tursunboyeva’s short story celebrates adventure and finding one’s own way in life.

Gaurav Ojha reflects on how he will take nothing with him when he leaves the earth. Graciela Noemi Villaverde expresses the exquisite anguish of losing someone close to her. Engin Cir speaks to the grief, but also the indignation, of romantic heartbreak. Faleeha Hassan evokes the feeling of anxiety, being exposed and weighed down. Mykyta Ryzhykh conveys alienation, cold, and a halfway state between life and death.

Duane Vorhees speaks to creativity, sensuality, and history, evoking major and minor apocalypses that occur when people cannot or do not adapt to constant change. Taylor Dibbert reflects on how creativity can help him weather, if not avoid, his struggles. Z.I. Mahmud links the expectations of Samuel Beckett’s characters in Waiting for Godot to those of broader Western religious and cultural traditions.

Adam Fieled writes of our twin natures, the balance of masculine and feminine. Z.I. Mahmud examines the family relationships in D.H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers through a Freudian psychoanalytic lens. Karimova Sarvara Karimovna crafts an elegant and highly personal love poem. Kristy Raines speaks to the joy of a close loving relationship. Aytuvova Khurshida shares a love story that gets interrupted by life, but where the former partners always remember each other. Numonova Khonzodabegim poignantly shares the challenges and risks military families face.

J.K. Durick speaks to the harsh realities of aging and death and hunger, which can be eased, but not completely erased, by modern culture. J.J. Campbell’s poetry addresses aging and resignation while Dildora Toshtemirova reflects on the loss of a close friend or lover. Nosirova Gavhar’s short story combines two great human passions: love and grief.

Paul Callus and Christina Chin collaborate on a wide-ranging haiku collection evoking home, place, and time. Stephen Jarrell Williams captures many of summer’s varied moods in his haiku. Steven Croft watches a Civil War reenactment through the eyes of a modern veteran. Brooks Lindberg speaks to what we remember and what we forget, of grasping happiness despite reality. Rustamjonova Nodira celebrates the perseverance of Uzbekistan’s founders, leaders, and people, as Nuraini Mohammed Usman urges her society to carry out collective housecleaning and purge old enmities.

Murodova Sitora urges teachers to continue to learn and develop their skills and be accorded the respect and resources in order to do so. Abduraximova Muyassarxon relates how a dedicated teacher helped her regain her confidence. Rukshona Qiyomova outlines the many responsibilities of a teacher and the value of the teaching profession. Sevinch Saidova reflects on the value of education for personal development. Sushant Kumar highlights the need for teachers to serve as role models as well as impart intellectual information.

Majidova Sevinch pays tribute to the many dimensions of a mother’s love and care. Sobirjonova Rayhona offers a tribute to her sister’s care and friendship. Ilhomova Mohichehra takes joy in her friends and her lovely homeland of Uzbekistan.

Brian Barbeito revels in the easy intimacy of the conversation on a summer hike. Salokhiddinova Mohichehra examines the structure and function of nature close to home, the human kidney. Isabel Gomez de Diego contributes visual poetry of everyday life: dinner with family, a visit with a grandson, a tree in the yard. Kylian Cubilla Gomez takes closeup peeks at backyard chickens.

Sayani Mukherjee recollects a quiet morning outdoors under the blue sky, smelling the scent of trees with her child. Maja Milojkovic yearns for and finds reminders of her lover in every aspect of nature. Intizor Samandarova evokes the sky’s expansive emptiness in her poetry as Don Bormon poetizes about the vast variety of clouds.

However, nature is not always calm: researcher Les Beley speaks to the ecological impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mahbub Alam describes the recent flash floods in parts of Bangladesh and the loss of life and property.

Farida Botayeva reflects on how quickly our circumstances and emotions can change. Ziyoda Murodilova considers how she will persevere in her life despite unpredictable feelings.

Finally, Christopher Bernard presents an old-style lyrical recipe for preparing hope in the kitchen.

The Teacher: Beyond Intelligence  

"Mero ta  Moj cha Yaar,"- “I am having extreme fun” – my friend Ramesh replied when I asked him about his well-being over the phone. Ramesh and I had been intimate friends since childhood, growing up in the same countryside, studying together at the local college, Ramesh was always the top student; his intelligence was far superior to that of his peers, a fact reflected in his academic results as well.

After earning his bachelor's degree, he headed to Kathmandu to pursue further education and continued to shine in his academic journey. He excelled at the top of his master's degree program at a prestigious university. His academic achievements were the talk of our village, and we all celebrated his success.

However, during the conversation, Ramesh revealed another side of his life. "During the day, I teach at three different private colleges as a part-time English teacher in Kathmandu," he admitted. "But mostly on Friday nights, I spend time drinking whiskey at bars in Thamel with some students. They pay for everything since they belong to rich families."

I couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. Somewhere deep down, those words compelled me to question the ethics of his professional life, as they seemed to reflect a lack of wisdom and character despite his engaging classes, knowledge, and the success of his students under his guidance.

Some philosophers argue that wisdom is a broader term than intelligence. Wisdom includes ethical values and actions, and those who possess wisdom can distinguish between wrong and right. 

However, despite being a teacher who is supposed to be full of wisdom, Ramesh’s choice to visit bars and drink with students made me feel that he lacks such qualities. During our conversation, he also mentioned that he does not feel the positive burden of duties and responsibilities, as he is a part-time teacher and most of his fellow teachers are unfamiliar with him. 

"Who comes and goes doesn’t matter. No one knows except the person who hired you," he said. Ramesh is a clear illustration of the moral deficiencies prevalent among many teachers today. It is truly disheartening to realize that they undermine the integrity of the educational system.

The conversation made me ponder what makes a good teacher. Is intelligence the only criterion for being a good teacher? What about wisdom and character? What is the right process for selecting teachers? Do educational institutions train teachers to be honest and moral? How can they motivate teachers to be duty-bound and self-disciplined? 

In recent years, with the rise of science and technology, teachers have become more resourceful and knowledgeable than ever. 

However, it is crucial for them to also embody wisdom and good character. The role of a teacher is not only to impart academic knowledge but also to serve as a role model for students. The impact of a teacher on a student's life spreads beyond the classroom; Teachers’ values, ethics, overall personality, and character absolutely influence students.   

Therefore, the following considerations should be made during the selection process and after the selection of teachers.

Selection of Teachers

When selecting teachers, the education institutions should initiate a mechanism to evaluate candidates' ethical values, in addition to their excellent academic qualifications. The mechanism could include thorough background checks, psychological well-being assessments, and interviews focusing on ethical issues. By doing so, schools can ensure they are hiring teachers who are not only knowledgeable but also capable of serving as positive role models for their students.


Teachers’ Trainings beyond Curriculum and Methodology
 
Educational institutions often focus teacher training solely on curriculum, syllabus, and teaching methodologies. However, training should encompass more than these aspects. It should also cover ethics, self-discipline, and teachers' roles and responsibilities.


The cushioning role of the principal

The principal should create an environment where teachers feel that the institution is their second home by bridging the communication gap among staff members. Rewarding good behavior can motivate teachers to strive for excellence in all aspects of their roles. Additionally, the principal should make teachers feel like the school's true foundation by recognizing them as valuable employees. Fostering a sense of permanence and belonging will encourage teachers to dedicate both their hearts and minds to the organization.

This can be achieved through regular meetings, team-building activities, and, if needed, one-on-one positive counseling.
In a nutshell, the role of a teacher goes beyond imparting academic knowledge. Teachers should serve as role models embodying wisdom, good character, and ethical values. 

Therefore, educational institutions should prioritize selecting teachers who possess these qualities and provide professional as well as ethical training to help them grow in all aspects of their profession. Thus, schools can ensure that teachers are highly motivated, duty-bound, and self-disciplined. This, in turn, will have a positive impact on pupils. Over time, students will grow into individuals with strong moral values and ethical standards.

[Sushant Kumar B.K. is a Nepali poet, translator, educator, and freelance writer from Gulariya, Bardiya, Nepal. He holds two degrees: an MA in English Literature and Political Science. He primarily writes poems in English and Nepali. His poems have been featured in national and international anthologies, magazines, newspapers, and online portals. He can be reached at sushantacademia@gmail.com.".]

Howie Good, Frowny Face and all

The patron saint of Shopping Mall Santas.

If only wishes had the impact of bullets!

The Lord has showed us His glory but also His great big ass.

I might not have the shadows of carrion crows tattooed on

            my eyeballs.

Children on their hands and knees peck at the ground for seeds

            and insects and adults sniff around like dogs.

…love means teaching  a child not to step on a caterpillar.

Kids are warned, “Don’t ever talk to strangers” but strangers

            have the best candy.

There is always a superannuated star of 1980’s action movies

            exposing his mummified balls.

Do cows get excited: The parable

One night the chalk outline of the body mysteriously disappeared.

Extreme (Art) Materials at the Memorial Art Gallery (2012)

Breakfast cereal on wood panel

Insects, wax, and mixed media

Condoms and fabric

Taxidermied animals and crochet fabric

Breastplate #6: Lead and American .233 military ammo

Rainbow: Dry dog food and silicone

Coyote Juggles His Eyes: coyote skull, enamel, and glycerin

Organized Knowledge in Story and Picture: an altered set

            of encyclopedias

Fireworks Drawing: lit fireworks residue on fibrous paper

Centipedes: Bundt cake pans, bicycle brake liners, found objects

            and cold cathode tubes

Plaster infused marble, steel wool and lead

Inkjet prints on used coffee filters: a set of six

Post Extinction Fossil Grotto: bones and mixed media

Orthoptera: Grasshoppers, antique brass, steel watch parts (gears

            and springs) glass dome, walnut base, and sueded mat

Wheatfields: Udon, squid ink, spaghetti, and porcini mushroom

            spaghetti on wood

Pulled Tooth Drawing with reclaimed gold fillings.

Liquid Asset: Discarded plastic bottles, tinted polyacrylic mice

            powder and rivets

Human hair, steel wire, fiberglass screens, thread and wooden

            beads

Before Something Else Happens: Rose petals, synthetic hair and

            glass beads

Chemical Balance II: prescription bottles, mirror, and epoxy

Tampon Cake: layered tampons and applicators

Corpus Regis: Blood, resin, and clay on board

Albion Dream: Glass, bacteria water, vinegar, and epoxy

Lynsey Addario’s: It’s What I Do: Photographing Love

            and War

Troops firing at government helicopter as it sprays area

            with machine gun fire

Afghan women shield their faces at woman’s hospital

Rebel fighters and drivers look into sky anticipating a bomb

Anti-American demonstration in Peshawar

My shoe without laces where we were tied up

Transgender prostitutes in the Meatpacking District of New York

Women of Jihad Afghanistan

Young Afghanis listen to music in public for the first time

Civilians carry the body of a severely wounded comrade after a

            car bombing

Indian man bathing in the street: Calcutta at dawn

Kurdish soldiers deface a picture of Saddam Hussein

Children swimming in artificial lake at Saddam’s palace

Rows of the remains of bodies found in mass graves South

            of Bagdad

Scene in front of British Consulate minutes after a car bomb

            exploded

Soldiers with 173^rd Airborne Battle Company react to incoming

            mortar round

Afghan woman stands in labor on the side of a mountain

Death of a U.S. marine in Soth Afghanistan

Iraqis watch a 3-D movie in Bagdad

(The Defenestration of) Francesca Woodman: On Being

            an Angel

Self Portrait in sheer nightwear in attic loft with hanging

            sheer curtains, Rome

Black paint splatter on graffiti wall with disappearing woman

Dramatic pose in darkness with white gloves highlighted

Posed as a naked angel highlighted in derelict loft

Self Portrait at 13 with piano, already among shadows, Rome

Double exposed crawling through a headstone, Boulder, CO

Easter lily with headless nude

Naked bodies in and on glass museum display cabinet

Escaping naked and exposed from natural history exhibit

            with taxidermed animals

Disappearing as if blending into partially peeling flowered

            wallpaper

Naked body, time exposed

Time exposure of FW in polka dot dress with pocked bare walls

Lightning Legs: FW’s bare legs beneath raised polka dot dress with

            jagged piece of torn wallpaper

Supine on a Victorian settee facing a wall wearing several layers

            of black lingerie

Three kinds of melons, four kinds of light: FW naked holding

            cantaloupes and a picture of a melon

Pinched sitting: headless nude with clothes pins attached to

            nipples, stomach, and belly button

Face: Headless nude sitting on a couch with a plaster face mask

            covering her pudenda

Suspended: gripping a door frame with face averted

“Sometimes things are really dark.”

Crouched, naked, facing a wall hands pressing against it:

            “Then at one point I did not need to translate notes:

            they went directly to my hands.”

Lying naked face down on a floor with a curled eel in a white

            enamel basin

Self portrait talking to Vince with “bubbles” escaping from her

            mouth

Self deceit #1, crawling, naked around a stone wall and seeing

            herself reflected in a broken mirror

Self deceit #4 standing naked against a stone wall face covered by

            the piece of broken mirror

About being my model: three naked women holding three different

            faces of FW over their own

Francesca’s head on an oriental rug runner: pigment-based inkjet

            print (reddish)

Last view from a loft window: no note 

Lustmord 1920-2020 : A Centennial Celebration

Morbid Curiosity: The art work, the underground sensation,

            the headlines

“I don’t particularly want to chop up women but it seems

            to work.” Said Brian DePalma

George Grosz as Jack the Ripper: a self-portrait with Eva Peter in

            the artist’s studio

Otto Dix “Sex Murder a self portrait

“A boy’s best friend is his mother.” Norman Bates

Nosferatu peers out of the ship’s hold carrying him: a movie still

“Everywhere the mystery of the corpse” Max Beckman

Case Studies:

Otto Dix: Walpurgisnacht, the orgiastic witches Sabbath

            Flares: skeletal dead bodies of soldiers with fireworks

            Metropolis: garish excesses: a triptych like Bosch

            The Seven deadly Sins-personified

            Shell hole with flowers

            With corpses

            Self-Portrait with Muse: sensual, otherworldly, threatening

George Grosz: Double Murder in Rue Morgue

            When it was over (the axe murder) they played cards

            For the fatherland-This way to toe Slaughterhouse

            Homunculus: A Frankenstein monster gone radically wrong

            John the Lady Killer: figuratively and literally

            Pimps of death aka military officers

Fritz Lang’s M

The Corpse Vanishes

Trapped Like a Caged Animal: the child murderer frozen with fear

Reinventions: Murder in the name of Art

The Third Man: Harry Lime observing the people below from a

            Ferris wheel: “Would you really feel any pity if one of those

            dots stopped moving-forever.”

Dark Souvenirs

The Year in Review in Pictures: an abridged selection

                        from the New York Times

“Every war is ironic because every war is worse

than expected.” Paul Fussell 1924-2012

American sailors with captured Somali pirates

Thousands of people return home after ten years of war, Darfur

Frozen child, refugee camp, Afghanistan

Man on fire running, New Delhi

Nik Wallenda highwire walking over Niagara Falls Gorge

Kim Jong-Un reviewing the troops, May Day, North Korea

Human skull and bones mass grave, Mazar I Sharif, Afghanistan

Pussy Riot in Moscow Courtroom cage

Wendy Maritza Rodriguez after seeing the corpse of a relative

Forty-six new graves cut in a field, Krymsk, Russia

Statue of Blessed Virgin Mary after the fire, Breezy Point, Queens

Aerial View of Manhattan showing blackout of the city after Sandy

Israeli family braced for incoming rockets near Ashdod

Palestine residents clearing debris, Gaza City, the next day

Night in Syria after airstrike in Aleppo

26 killed, 20 children, 6 adults, Newton, Connecticut elementary

            school massacre (not shown)

            Published in New Verse News 2012

Who Am I?


[Originally published in the Somerville Times & Fleury’s book You Are Enough: The Journey to Accepting Your Authentic Self]

if you peel layer 
                  upon layer
                           upon layer
maybe then and only then
you will find me...
for i am a multilayered entity...
a building block of heterogeneity 
i can be fierce and unflinching
              apathetic and also doting
                    docile and also volatile
                            lovable and also irritable
                                      compulsive and also discernible
I am a man
I am a “black” man
I am an American
I am a “black” American
I am a DNA test from
Ancestry dot com’s family tree
And twenty-three and me
I am African ancestry
I am Afro Haitian ancestry
I am European ancestry
I am the legacy of a middle class family in Haiti
I am the legacy of America’s social and economic disparity
I am the story of Horatio Alger’s characters thriving over adversity

I am a malady
I am a remedy
i am a rainbow
i am a shadow
I am a son
I am a brother
I am an uncle
I am an author
I am an educator
And pervasive human valor coconspirator
           I am in attrition
             I am in progression
               I am an amalgamation
I am perfectly imperfect
And imperfect perfectly
I am a thesis of social injustice
I am a vision of personal apotheosis
                  I am all this and more...

I am            ME!

Jacques Fleury is a Haitian-American poet, author, educator and literary arts student at Harvard University online. His book “You Are Enough: The Journey to Accepting Your Authentic Self”  & other titles are available at public libraries, The Harvard Book Store, The Grolier Poetry Bookshop, Amazon etc…

Manner of Human

Nothing is permanent.

Don’t stress yourself too much.

Because no matter how bad the situation is,

it will be changed.

Satisfied life is better than successful life.

Because our success is measured by others.

But our satisfaction is measured by our own soul,

Mind and heart.

You’re strong when you know

Your weakness.

You’re beautiful when you appreciate your flows.

You are wise when you learn from your mistakes.

Never regret being a good person to the wrong people.

Your manners says everything about you.

And their manner says

Enough about them.

Ranjan Sagar is an Indian poet in Guderpali Bargarh district of Odisha. He is a comedy script writer, multilingual poet, lyricist and an active social activist who has won numerous awards and recognitions. His work has been published in several foreign literary magazines and newspapers. He is a member and ambassador of international literary associations. The purpose of his writing is bringing about progressive change in society.

The Moonlight in my Life

You are the the moonlight in my life

that still leads the way to our happiness

You steal every passionate feeling within me 

like the hummingbird that draws the sweet

nectar from the depth of the honeysuckle 

The heat of love we both have for each other

soaks my skin like a misty layer of morning dew

Whispers between us are sweeter than any love poem

and the feel of your hand on my arm still thrills me

When the dawn comes and I feel your gaze upon me

It is the way you still look in my sleepy eyes 

that will always make life worth living.

Longing

Arms of mine, long to wrap around you

Lips as delicate as rose petals, yearn to touch yours

Eyes so inviting, I can’t help but dive into them

Hands so strong, I always feel safe holding them

Heartbeat so fast, I ache to feel yours beating with mine

Words so sweet, I hunger to hear more of them

Memories of times together, I wish for many more

Love so deep, I desire never to lose you

Kristy Raines was born in Oakland, CA. She is a poet, prose writer, and advocate for human rights internationally. She has received many literary awards and advocates for the Rohingya people and for an orphanage in India. She is most known internationally for her unique style of writing.

Kristy has just launched her first book, titled, “The Passion Within Me,” which is a beautiful collection of poems from a passionate heart. She is now working on her first children’s book, titled, “Princess and The Lion.” See her first book, The Passion Within Me, on Amazon.