1.大地流彩

文/肖世嘉(小荷诗社，11岁)

五彩缤纷的世界

也有流光溢彩的大地

春天的大地穿上了绿油油的衣裳

绿是希望的象征

这份希望绿是独属于春天的大地的

夏天的大地戴上了深蓝的帽子

深蓝的大海有着无穷的奥妙

这份奥妙蓝是独属于夏天的大地的

秋天的大地穿上了金黄的毛绒大衣

金黄的毛绒表示着丰收的稻田

这份丰收黄是独属于秋天的大地的

冬天的大地披上雪白的披风

雪白的白雪和枯萎的大树形成了一种凄凉美

这份凄凉美是独属于冬天的大地的

The Earth Flows with Colors

By Xiao Shijia (Xiaohe Poetry Club, 11 years old)

This colorful world

Also has a radiant earth

In spring, the earth puts on green clothes

Green is a symbol of hope

This hopeful green belongs uniquely to the spring earth

In summer, the earth wears a deep blue hat

The deep blue sea holds endless mysteries

This mysterious blue belongs uniquely to the summer earth

In autumn, the earth dons a golden fluffy coat

The golden fluff represents the harvest fields

This harvest gold belongs uniquely to the autumn earth

In winter, the earth wraps itself in a snow-white cape

The snow-white snow and withered trees form a poignant beauty

This poignant beauty belongs uniquely to the winter earth

2.无题

文/邹斯宇(小荷诗社，9岁)

大树伤心的时候

会落下一片叶子

但人类会觉得是一处美景

Untitled

By Zou Siyu (Xiaohe Poetry Club, 9 years old)

When a big tree is sad

It will drop a leaf

But humans will think it’s a beautiful scene

3.人生

文/雷雨晗(小荷诗社，10岁)

有些人的人生像苦瓜一样苦，

而有些人的人生像糖一样甜。

人生很苦的人想要人生变甜，

首先他得适应生活，

就像不喜欢吃苦瓜的人一样，

只要坚持下去他会变得很喜欢吃苦瓜，

那就代表坚持得了生话的各种苦。

所以，

一切都有可能。

Life

By Lei Yuhan (Xiaohe Poetry Club, 10 years old)

Some people’s lives are as bitter as bitter melons,

while others’ lives are as sweet as sugar.

Those who live a bitter life want their life to turn sweet.

First, they have to get used to life,

just like people who don’t like bitter melons—

as long as they persist, they will come to like bitter melons.

That means they can endure all kinds of hardships in life.

So,

everything is possible.

4.无题

文/张雨涵(小荷诗社，11岁)

老天这是怎么了

总是在流泪

让大地、河流都变成了汪洋

让大豆、棉花都在潜水

让鱼、虾都在遨游

农民苦不堪言

雨过天晴后

一切都恢复了平静

Untitled

By Zhang Yuhan (Xiaohe Poetry Club, 11 years old)

What’s wrong with the sky?

It keeps crying

Making the earth and rivers turn into a vast ocean

Making the soybeans and cotton seem to be diving

Making the fish and shrimp swim freely

The farmers are overwhelmed with suffering

After the rain stops and the sky clears

Everything returns to peace

5.花

文/胡裕乐(11岁)

她静静站在那儿

人来人往都夸她

美丽、清新

可我却说她不屈

你不信

那是你没有看见她

在淤泥里的挣扎

Flower

By Hu Yule (11 years old)

She stands there quietly

People come and go, praising her

For being beautiful, fresh

But I say she is unyielding

You don’t believe it

That’s because you haven’t seen

Her struggle in the mud

6.我不算谁的附庸

王韵瑶

也不是某段的支流河

比起这些

我更想成为一场顷刻间的滂沱

旷野间乍起的风波

又或是唐朝遗风外

悬着的唯一月色

人生本就是一首诗歌

而他们的文字浅薄

不该被潦草地印刷着

所以在我笔下

一重山有一重山的错落

我有我的平仄

I Am Not Anyone’s Appendage

By Wang Yunyao

I am not anyone’s appendage

Nor a tributary of some section

Compared to these

I’d rather be a sudden downpour

A gust of wind rising in the wilderness

Or the only moonlight hanging

Beyond the legacy of the Tang Dynasty’s style

Life is originally a poem

Yet their words are shallow

Not to be carelessly printed

So in my writing

One range of mountains has its own arrangement

I have my own rhythm

Su Yun’s Poem:

栅栏

我学会笨拙的飞

或是跳跃

我就去爬盯我千遍的栅栏

用我沾上的泥点记录

我所填过的格块

填满一面

包括尽头挤压变形的铁丝

我忘记笨拙的飞

或是跳跃

我就去走俯视我千遍的横杆

用我脱落的绒羽记录

我所歇息过的桩头

走满千寸

包括中间被冰雹敲掉的木板

当我已经无力，溃烂

就让我的骨头

凭着记忆粘在铁网十字的中心

凝视人巷学会苟活的人们

用混着羽毛捏的泥人

标记十字路口的空间

The Fence

When I learned the clumsy flight

or the leap

I went to climb the fence that had stared at me a thousand times

using the mud spots stuck to me to record

every grid I’d filled

Filling up an entire side

including the twisted wire at the end

When I forgot the clumsy flight

or the leap

I went to walk the crossbar that had looked down on me a thousand times

using the downy feathers I’d shed to record

every post I’d rested on

Walking a thousand inches

including the plank in the middle, knocked off by hailstones

When I’m finally powerless, decaying

let my bones

stick to the center of the iron net’s cross

staring at the crowd in the alley—people who’ve learned to survive by compromise

using a mud doll kneaded with feathers

to mark the space at the crossroads

Suyun, 17 years old, is a member of the China Poetry Society and a young poet. Her works have been published in more than ten countries. She has published poetry collections Yang Fa Wan Wu (Inspiring All Things) and Rui Yu Zhe Si (Wise Words and Philosophical Thoughts) in China, and WITH ECSTASY OF MUSINGS IN TRANQUILITY in India. She is the recipient of the Guido Gozzano Orchard Prize of Italy, the Special Prize for Foreign Writers of the City of Pomezia (with the organizing committee hailing her as “a craftsman of Chinese lyric poetry”), the “Cuttlefish Bone” Award for Best International Writer Under 25, and the Creative Award of the Naji Naaman International Literary Prize of Lebanon.

DON’T LET THE CROWD SHAPE YOU, THEY DON’T KNOW YOUR NAME LIKE YOU DO. 

THEY DON’T HEAR THE QUIET BATTLES YOU’VE ALREADY SURVIVED IN SILENCE.

BREAK FREE. 

EVEN IF YOUR HANDS ARE SHAKING. 

FIRE WAS NEVER CALM BEFORE IT LEARNED TO BURN.

FOLLOW YOUR HEART, EVEN WHEN IT TREMBLES IN FEAR. 

ESPECIALLY IN THAT MOMENT. 

A NEWBORN NEVER ASKS PERMISSION, IT JUST CRIES, AND THE WORLD LISTENS.

DON’T SHRINK. 

DON’T FREEZE YOURSELF TO MAKE OTHERS COMFORTABLE. 

YOUR LIGHT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE DIMMED, IT WAS MEANT TO BE SEEN.

LET YOUR VOICE RISE ABOVE THE NOISE. 

SAY THE THINGS THEY TOLD YOU TO SWALLOW, SAY THEM ANYWAY. 

BECAUSE TRUTH SPOKEN FROM THE CHEST HAS A WAY OF SETTING SOULS FREE.

IN A WORLD THAT TRIES TO TAME YOU, BE THE WILDFIRE. 

NOT DESTRUCTIVE, 

BUT UNDENIABLE.

AND HEAR THIS, THE DAY YOU STOP ASKING FOR PERMISSION TO BE WHO YOU ARE, IS THE DAY YOU FINALLY COME HOME TO YOURSELF.

Hassan Musa Dakasku is a Nigerian writer, a passionate advocate for youth well-being, a microbiologist, and a performance poet. He is an author whose work is rooted in vulnerability and personal expression, and he maintains a personal blog where he shares his insights and creative pieces.

Waray Literature and Kimball’s Critique of Contradictions in Eagleton’s Work

VI

From Dunkin Donuts, I hopped on a multicab (one of those small light trucks used for public transport in the Philippines) headed for Kassel City Subdivision. Kassel is a place of big trees with roots sunk deep into the ground, flocks of different birds hovering near my apartment, and a hill just nearby. It was evening when I picked up Bagulaya’s book again at page 277.

Reading it made one thing clear: in poetry, language is not just used to share information or facts; it is used to create beauty, emotion, and depth. Metaphors are used openly and as the main tool of expression. They stand out, draw attention, and become the heart of what the poem is trying to say. Readers notice them immediately, and they are essential to understanding and enjoying the work.

These are the final lines from Victor Sugbo’s “This Anticipation for Poetry”, translated from his Waray poem “An Paghinulat han Siday.”O how long it is taking for the moon to comeNo matter how often crossed is the Kankabatok This chasing after the moonIs no guarantee that you will bathe in moonshine. (277)VII

In his book Poetry and Language: The Linguistics of Verse, Michael Ferber wrote: Metaphor seems most at home in poetry. Many would say it provides poetry’s best and most distinctive furniture… [M]ost readers and writers would agree that metaphor counts as one of the characteristic features of poetry, one of the most salient of poetry’s “family resemblances.” In a “prose poem,” for example, where meter, rhyme, and even line have been abandoned, what keeps it a “poem,” many would say, is its density of figurative language, and especially metaphor. (195)

This passage is making a point about why metaphor feels central to poetry. It’s where metaphor feels natural and expected. “Furniture” = the things that make up the poem, what gives it shape and character. Metaphor is one of the key pieces that makes a poem feel like a poem. It’s distinctive; you don’t find it used the same way in news articles, essays, or instruction manuals.

Borrowing from Wittgenstein, “family resemblances” are traits that members of a group share without any single trait being required for all of them. Metaphor is one of those traits for poetry. Most poems have it, and when they do, it’s a strong signal that you’re reading poetry. A prose poem drops the usual poetic markers – no meter, no rhyme, no line breaks. It looks like a paragraph.

So what makes it a poem and not just a short piece of prose? For many readers, it’s the density of figurative language, especially metaphor. That’s what keeps it in the “poetry” family even when all the other features are gone.

VIII

Bagulaya discussed Eagleton only briefly, offering no detailed analysis of his ideas. To gain further insight into Eagleton’s views and philosophy, I conducted online research and found an article written by Kimball.

IX

This comparison shows the sharp contrast between Kimball’s and Eagleton’s ideas.  

On New Criticism & Tradition Kimball defends traditional culture, established values, and the idea that great literature has permanent, universal meaning. In Tenured Radicals, he criticizes thinkers like Eagleton and the whole field of modern literary theory for attacking tradition, destroying academic standards, and turning literature into just another tool for political arguments.

For Kimball, New Criticism was good because it focused on the text itself and preserved the value of great works. On the Purpose of Education and Criticism states that education’s job is to pass down knowledge, wisdom, and culture. Kimball sees theorists like Eagleton as “radicals” who want to change the classroom into a place for protest or ideology, ruining learning. On Meaning and Language Holds that language and literature do have stable meanings.

Kimball dislikes theories (like those Eagleton promotes) that say meaning changes based on who is reading it or their social background. Bagulaya only mentioned Eagleton briefly, so I researched further. I found Kimball’s article, which presents the opposite view: while Eagleton critiques New Criticism for being politically conservative and disconnected from reality, Kimball attacks Eagleton and modern theory for being too political and destroying traditional literary values. Their debate centers on whether literature should be seen as an independent work of art or as something deeply connected to society, history, and power.

X

I usually read at the Leyte Samar Heritage Center bookstore, Dunkin’ Donuts, or at home in Kassel City Subdivision. I love reading Waray poems by modernist writers. As a reader, it’s the density of figurative language, especially metaphor. That’s what keeps it in the “poetry” family even when all the other features are gone.

Works Cited

Bagulaya, Jose Duke. Writing Literary History: Mode of Economic Production and Twentieth Century Waray Poetry,  University of the Philippines Press, 2006.

Ferber, Michael. Poetry and Language: The Linguistics of Verse, Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Kimball, Roger. “The Contradictions of Terry Eagleton.” The New Criterion, vol. 9, no. 1, 1990, p. 24.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Fhen M.’s essay “Waray Literature and Kimball’s Critique of Contradictions in Eagleton’s Work” appears in Synchronized Chaos, an interdisciplinary journal focused on art, music, culture, science, and literature. Literary Heist also publishes his prose “Disaster, Evil, and Moral Truth in Henry James: Genotiva’s Analysis .” From 2016 to 2017, he worked as an academic writer at Zeveral Academic Consultants Inc. in Pasig City, Metro Manila. During his tenure, his team leader gifted him a copy of the 2014 animated film The Prophet, adapted from Kahlil Gibran’s 1923 book. The film follows Mustafa, a poet and activist under house arrest in Ottoman-era Lebanon, as he engages in profound conversations with the townspeople on topics like work, love, and death. One of Gibran’s notable poems featured in the film is “On Work”.

Saving the Aral Sea

It dripped, slowly and gradually,

We didn’t know until it was too late.

It dried up, disappeared, changed, went away,

The Aral Sea evaporated.

Dust filled the airways,

Salt rose, we were left alone.

Even ten percent was barely saved,

The Aral Sea evaporated.

Countries united to help,

They planted saxaul, to cover the damage.

No matter what big countries do,

It is in our hands to save the Aral Sea.

#charosismoilovaruslanovna

#uzbekistan

Shermamatova Charos
Samarqand viloyati Narpay tumani charxin maxalasi
Life Behind the Pages

There are some miracles in human life that cannot be fully seen with our eyes or touched with our hands. They live in our hearts, grow within our minds, and remain with us throughout our lives. One of these miracles is a book. Although a book may seem to be nothing more than paper and ink, every page hides an endless world filled with dreams, hopes, struggles, joys, wisdom, and the stories of countless people. For me, the phrase “Life Behind the Pages” represents not only books but also the spiritual wealth and experiences of humanity.

Ever since I was a child, I have loved holding books in my hands. The scent of their pages and the gentle sound of turning them always filled me with excitement. At that time, I did not realize that I was opening the door to a completely new world. Every book I read gave me new ideas, new dreams, and new goals. Through books, I learned to see life from different perspectives, to understand people better, and to appreciate kindness and compassion.

Behind every book stands an author who has poured years of experience, emotions, and wisdom into every sentence. When we read a book, we breathe life into those words once again. It feels as if we are having a heartfelt conversation with the author, even if they lived centuries ago. This is the true magic of books—they erase the boundaries of time and distance and connect one soul with another.
Sometimes, a single sentence can change a person’s entire life.

Words have incredible power. They inspire hope, encourage courage, heal emotional wounds, and remind us never to give up. The lessons we discover in books remain in our hearts long after we finish reading. Years may pass, but unforgettable characters and meaningful stories continue to guide us.

Books do much more than provide knowledge. They shape our character. They teach us honesty, patience, respect, responsibility, love, and humanity. In today’s digital world, technology has become an essential part of our lives, yet nothing can truly replace a good book. The internet may provide quick information, but books teach us to think deeply, analyze carefully, and understand the true meaning behind life.

Life behind the pages takes us to different places and different times. One moment we walk through the streets of an ancient city, and the next we stand beside great scientists, brave leaders, or ordinary people with extraordinary stories. Without leaving our homes, we travel across countries, cultures, and centuries. That is the remarkable power of reading.

While reading, we celebrate the victories of the characters and share their pain and disappointment. We learn from their mistakes and grow through their experiences. In reality, we are not only discovering their lives—we are discovering ourselves. Every book becomes a mirror that reflects our own dreams, fears, strengths, and possibilities.

For young people, books are among the greatest teachers and the most faithful friends. Reading helps us gain knowledge, improve our communication skills, expand our imagination, and prepare for the future. A person who reads regularly develops a richer vocabulary, a broader worldview, and the confidence to overcome life’s challenges.
Every time I turn a page, I feel as though I am opening a new chapter in my own life. Every book leaves a lasting mark on my heart. The person I am today has been shaped, in many ways, by the books I have read. They have taught me to dream without limits, to work hard for my goals, to rise after failure, and to keep believing in a brighter tomorrow.

For this reason, I believe that books are among humanity’s greatest treasures. As long as books exist, knowledge and wisdom will continue to live. As long as knowledge lives, society will continue to grow. A nation that values reading builds a stronger future because educated, thoughtful, and compassionate people become the foundation of its success.

In conclusion, Life Behind the Pages is a journey toward wisdom, kindness, and self-discovery. Every book offers a new lesson, a new experience, and a new source of inspiration. A person who loves reading is never spiritually poor because books fill the heart with light, enrich the mind with knowledge, and strengthen the soul with hope. Every page we read brings us one step closer to becoming better human beings. Therefore, loving books, developing the habit of reading, and discovering the life hidden behind every page is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.

WHOLE

At that window,

with the colours drying out

Into less drab greens and browns,

the peace and quiet

in the soft yellow-green land  

slowly arcs its way into distance

trees with bare boughs

and bushes with wide curtseys

clutter the foreground of,

Leads me to hope,

that maybe things are getting better.

Standing here at the window is no worse than before,

Hollowness

in front of listless colours and woods.

Maybe the birds that chatter,

Louder now as I listen more,

and the flowering that will flower

and the nature-things that will grow

will heal me, and mine,

and make us as we were.

GROWN OUT OF

The ticktock of the clock recalls pre-digital me.

Awareness of self,

in a country lane surrounded by green bits,

or immersed in the silence of ticking clocks,

was poetry.

I was poetry. I was words scratched on paper, 

later, clicked on keyboards on computers.

Typewriters shouldn’t be forgotten.

I used all mediums to express my expressibility.

The murmuring of breezes through trees,

the solemnity of aloneness in a room,

didn’t need pen, key or tab, just me there

to record me there. My moment.

Vulgar, and silly, of course.

I look back at the arrogance of life.

But I’m still turning over the pages,

clicking on to the next one.

And the next. 

Recording my journey through life.

Fabricating a storyline.

CAPO DI MONTE

A porcelain figure stooping

slightly, legs close together,

right arm held down, slightly

away from body.

Left arm hugging a tankard

midriff,

head nodding slightly

to follow the upper body’s stoop.

Ever so slightly about to tip

over, feet though, barely visible,

tight

on the deep, white podium.

Dirty white, save a golden

band topping the tankard.

Fuzzy hair, and young boy’s face

from where I sit

glancing at the corner

where the porcelain figure stands

atop the cabinet.

Alan Hardy has for many years run an English language school for foreign students (in UK). As well as Synchronized Chaos, he’s been published in such magazines as Sideways Magazine, Ink Sweat & Tears, The Candyman’s Trumpet, Envoi, Iota, Poetry Salzburg, The Interpreter’s House, Littoral, Orbis, Pulsar, South, Lothlorien, 100subtexts, Fixator, Chewers, Feversofthemind, Suburban Witchcraft and others. Poetry pamphlets Wasted Leaves (1996) and I Went with Her (2007). 

Some people consider that individuals are not physically training regularly, however they realize it is gainful for their well-being.

To begin with, the issue can be attributed to a number of different factors. Chief among the primary causes would be that they are busy. When people work in the office because of much data and manage extra digital technologies, they do not find leisure time to do exercise. Furthermore, this issue happens among students when they have too much homework. In addition, some people consume diet dishes as vegetarian that they suppose are so extremely favorable for health that they do not need to work out. Even so, you still need to exercise.

Nevertheless, some feasible measures could be adopted to tackle the problems described above. The first possible measure to address this issue would be an organized competition with prizes run by the government. Employees of the council should set up matches among the adults and old people which bring them together to play sports such as volleyball and football.

Another plausible way to mitigate the issue might be that the regime should restrict private cars and encourage the use of bicycles. This vehicle not only gives benefits to humans, but it also helps reduce air pollution in the environment. In fact, if a person cycles on a daily basis to work, they’ll receive many heart health benefits.

To sum up, the above – mentioned facts have outlined the reasons as well as the impacts of this problem. This is a complex matter which can hardly be solved in the short term. However, if the above – mentioned measures are well implemented, it is likely that this problem can be overcome.