Rich Murphy’s latest collections, Elephant by Bass Clef Books, Storage Shed and Inside Stories by Resource Publications and Mind of Europe: A Genealogy to The Fat Man and Susan Constant by Cyberwit were published 2024-2025, following First Aid and Footholds (2023). Asylum Seeker (2018) was published by Press Americana. His poetry won The Poetry Prize at Press Americana twice for Americana (2013), The Left Behind (2021), and Gival Press Poetry Prize for Voyeur (2008). His first book was The Apple in the Monkey Tree by Codhill Press (2007).
Long ago, there lived a just and kind king. He always tried to keep his kingdom intact, but the grime and old traditions in the palace troubled him.
One day, he gathered his troops and decided to go on a short foray. “Let us not remain only in the palace; we must go and see our people,” he said. On the way, they passed through many villages and saw people rummaging to clean the streets but living in ruined houses. Some had poor dwellings, while others had no shelter at all.
This sight left a very poignant mark on the king’s heart. “My old policy was only about collecting taxes and maintaining order,” he thought. “Now I will begin a new way.”
He announced a decree: the poor would be given estates, and those who lost their homes would be helped to build new houses. To support these works, he ordered that unnecessary trees be pruned and lands be cleared. Soon every village began to prosper, and people started to live in peace.
The king looked at his son and said,
— My son, life is not always predictable. Sometimes people drift adrift in the current. Our duty is to lend them a hand. These good deeds will remain our greatest legacy.
Years passed. When the king died, his son continued his father’s noble work. He created fair policies, never marginalized anyone, and the palace continued to flourish with beauty and honor.
The people were grateful and said,
— Our king not only built a state but also warmed our hearts. The name of the Generous King will live forever!
The Impact of Social Media on the Lives of Young People
Nowadays, not only young people but almost everyone has become attached to social media. Many people even think that it is difficult to imagine life without social networks. Of course, modern life requires the use of the internet and social media. However, it is important to be careful when using them and to be able to distinguish useful information from unnecessary information. In particular, people should be able to analyze various unverified or fake news.Social media also has many advantages. For example, we can find almost any information we are looking for on the internet. It is also possible to keep up with daily news and follow events happening in different countries. In addition, there are many useful videos and lessons on social media for learning languages. Therefore, many young people have the opportunity to learn new knowledge and skills independently. However, the negative aspects of social media are also very serious. For instance, watching various short videos such as “shorts” can narrow people’s thinking ability, weaken speech fluency, cause them to waste time, reduce sleeping time, and even lead to memory decline. Moreover, the family environment may also be affected: instead of spending time with their families, many young people spend their time on social media. As a result, they may become unaware of feelings such as respect for parents and the importance of spending time together and having conversations with family members.
It is true that phones and the platforms or programs on them are created by humans and designed to function in a certain way. However, nowadays it seems that phones are controlling people. This is because many people easily become dependent on them. There are many young people who spend five to six hours or even more on their phones every day, wasting their time without any meaningful purpose. However, this does not mean that everyone is like that. There are also many young people who use social media properly and meaningfully. They have dreams and goals for their future and work hard to achieve them. Instead of wasting time, they use platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok in a productive way and organize their daily activities according to a schedule to continue their studies. In my opinion, young people who spend their days on social media in a useless way have become detached from reality and dependent on their virtual lives. Time passes very quickly, and I believe that wasting it inefficiently is wrong. In addition, such people may cast a shadow or darkness over their own bright and promising future.
Bekturdiyeva Nargizabonu was born on December 7, 2007, in Khiva city of Khorezm region. She won first place at the regional stage and participated in the national Olympiad. In 2025, she graduated from school with a gold medal.
Currently, she is a first-year student in the Geography program at Urgench State University. She has three journalistic articles and is the holder of a DGU certificate.
Her articles have been published in the famous “Synchronized Chaos” journal in the USA and in the “Ijodkorlar” journal in Uzbekistan, and she has also participated in an anthology. She is also a member of the Argentine international organization “Juntos por las Letras.”